Help! My Boyfriend's An…Alien? (Part 2)
by DireWolfEmily
Summary: Zim hasn't been on Earth long & chaos has ensued. 1st Lard Nar crashes back into his life without warning bringing several refugees including Dib's Mom & Granddad. Meanwhile his relationship with Dib continues to grow which only makes things harder. Not to mention Tak's efforts are getting more extreme, & now this once easy mission might turn out to be more than he bargained for.
1. Mother

**Summary:** Zim hasn't been on Earth long & chaos has ensued. 1st Lard Nar crashes back into his life without warning bringing several refugees including Dib's Mom & Granddad. Meanwhile his relationship with Dib continues to grow which only makes things harder. Not to mention Tak's efforts are getting more extreme. & now this once easy mission might turn out to be more than he bargained for.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**FYI: **This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim, and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Author's Notes:** So my fellow ZADR fans we are back with Part 2 of what I can say is easily my second most successful Series, and I know I left you all on a huge cliff hanger with Mrs. Bitters which is why this first chapter will shed some light on the whole "Mother" thing. Even though if you picked up on the Father part of that chapter it's kind of obvious, or at least I think so.

Anyways as always, thank you for reading and please enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: Mother**

**(Somewhere in Space...)**

**[Nearly 5 hundred years ago…]**

She would like to believe she could have prevented this…

Nigai, held her beloved in her shaking arms, as anger coursed through her. Here laying in her arms as his pink blood pooled around them was her love, her life, her everything. "Zorn…" She whispered his name as if her tone made it forbidden to speak.

Clantarian that was what she was; an intelligent lifeform from the furthest regions of space. Her appearance was surprisingly quiet human due to the fact that her home world Clantar was very similar to Earth in appearance as well as its position in the solar system. Clantarian were a noble race, one that had stood beside Irk since what could have been the dawn of time. And not in just a theoretical sense, Clantar was the sister planet of Irk! They had stood side by side for millions of years. No one knows for sure which came first of the two, but back then it didn't matter. All that mater was that they were bonded by the same gravitational pull of their large undying sun.

But now, such ideals were lost to them and it was all her fault!

Nigai had known the Irken female was bad news from the start, her ideals would certainly be the end of them all! How many times did she beg the AI's to reconsider? How many times did she plead with Zorn to force that cursed female to step down?

Thousands, no billions of times! And neither had listened to her desperate please.

"Nigai…" Zorn's voice is but a whisper.

"Darling please." Nigai is shaking more now. "You must save your strength."

"It is too late for me…" Zorn rasped coughing up blood as he spoke.

"No I can do something." Nigai wailed desperately. "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it! I'll save us." She cried.

"I should have listened to you." He realized a little too late. "I am beyond saving…" He told her the obvious. "But there is something you can do…"

"Yes Zorn." Nigai spoke through tears. "Tell me…"

"She plans to start using a cloning process…" Zorn rasped. "Too purify the blood lines."

"I know." Nigai stated. "I'm the one who sent you her plans." It was true she had broken into the female's Quarters and had made a copy of them herself. However, now she regretted it dearly for it would appear Zorn had plaid the ultimate price.

"I thought as much." Zorn said with a smile. Oh how could he smile at a time like this? He was about to die and it was all HER fault!

"My fault." She whispered.

"No…" Zorn weakly shook his head. "I chose this…" He assured her.

"Why?" Nigai cried.

"I started this blood lust with the elimination of the Gorgonians…" he rasped. "I made us this way…"

"No she did!" Nigai snapped.

"I helped." Zorn admitted, and she knew it to be true, still Nigai could not blame her mate for in her eyes he was flawless. "Hurry we do not have much time before she returns." He said urgently.

Nigai nodded furiously. "What would you have me do?"

"Take a sample of my DNA." He instructed. "Place it in Daughter's care."

Daughter, she was top AI of Irk and all other AI's answered to her, and since she often referred to Zorn as Father, Zorn in turn referred to her as Daughter.

"Once the heat dies down instruct her to place my DNA among those to be cloned." Zorn went on.

"How will that help us?" Nigai questioned.

"She will only chose the blood lines she thinks will obey her brain washing without question." Zorn explained. "This new Irken Program will turn them all into nothing more than machines." He rasped for breath once more, he was close to death now. "I am 99% pure Irken." He went on. "If anyone can fight the program than it will be someone like me…a true Irken."

"You mean a defective." Nigai said using the word the Irken female had expressed so much hatred for in her plans.

"Yes." Zorn nodded. "Now the next thing I say will be hard for you to do." He warned.

Nigai could only managed a nod as she wondered what this request could possibly be.

"You must not take him away from Irk." Zorn warned.

Nigai was stunned. "But she'll ruin him! The programing-"

"Will not ruin him." Zorn assured him.

"Zorn why?" Nigai pleaded.

"He must save Irk." He explained. "And in order to do that he must understand why it is broken. He must see it through a Defective's eyes."

"I do not understand." Nigai admitted.

"You will." He promised. "Now Hurry…call Daughter."

Nigai nodded franticly and pressed a button on her communicator in seconds the AI known as Daughter appeared.

"Mother…" Daughter notices Zorn and scans him. "I cannot help." She said the obvious.

"Yes you can." Nigai assured her. "Take a sample of his DNA and store it; keep it away from HER at all cost."

"Keep something from my future Tallest?" Daughter is obviously confused and rightfully so. It was her duty to obey her Tallest not keep things from her.

"She is not your Tallest yet." Nigai screamed. "He still breathes."

"For now." Zorn reminded her.

"I understand." Daughter said. "Please my Tallest give me you last command."

"Do as she says." Zorn instructed.

Daughter does not hesitate, she takes out a syringe and collects as much blood as possible. "It is done Father." She tells him.

"Good." Zorn praises her. "Now take my PAK."

"What!" Nigai is stunned. "You will die almost instantly!"

"Take it and hide it." Zorn told Daughter, ignoring his love. Not out of spite, but because he is running out of time. Time that is too precious to waste on arguing. "Once the Computer brain Lineage is creator instruct her to only attach this PAK to the one with my DNA."

"Lineage will not obey the orders of a past Tallest." Daughter told him the obvious.

"Than corrupt her!" Nigai snapped.

Zorn grabbed her hand to calm her, Nigai was a strong female, but her temper usually got the best of her.

"Corruption is against Irken law." Daughter reminded her.

"The Computer Brains are already corrupt." Zorn revealed to her. "All I am asking you to do is Correct Lineage."

Daughter is silent for a moment and then she speaks. "I Understand I will correct Lineage." She moves to relieve her Tallest of his PAK. "Is that all my Tallest?"

"Once the computer brains are made." Zorn told her. "You and the other AI's will be in danger you must go into hiding." He instructed. "Correct Lineage and give her my PAK and DNA before you leave."

"I understand." Daughter spoke as she began to disconnect the PAK. "How long do we hide?" She asked.

"Once my kin is born her law will have its expiration date." He assured her. "Find my kin and end this blood lust forever." He ordered.

"How?" Daughter asked.

"Correct him." Zorn ordered as his PAK was completely detached.

"Yes Father." Daughter answered and took the DNA and PAK with her for safe keeping. Once Lineage was created she would remove the Irken programing from her and place the items in her care before leaving Irk for the time being. "Goodbye Mother." Daughter said as she left.

Nigai watch the AI as she went looking unsure. "Are you sure she can be trusted?" She asked.

"She will carry out my last order." Zorn rasped, he only minutes left now, if that. "It is Irken law, one Myuki will not change."

Nigai hisses at the mention of HER name.

Zorn smiles it is a painful one. "I wish you would stay with him." He said. "My Kin will need you."

Yes, it was no secret that Nigai planned to leave, it was written on her face which would explain Daughter's need to say goodbye. "I will not stand by and watch her destroy everything you built."

"We built." Zorn corrected her. "Where will you go?"

"I know a place where my kind fit in perfectly." Nigai assured him. "A place that will not stay hidden from Irk's blood lust for long."

"You think she will send him?" Zorn asked.

"If you're Kin is anything like you." Nigai smiled. "Then yes."

"I wish you would stay." Zorn rasped.

"I will return to see his birth." Nigai promised him. She knew it wouldn't be a real birth, the Kin would be a clone after all. But Nigai would make sure he was created all the same. "Besides I fear if I don't leave I will be dead before then."

Zorn nodded. "You are my forever." He told her.

Nigai's smile widen, Irken's rarely said the words _'I love you'. _However, she had learned that to Irkens the phrase Zorn spoke now was just as meaningful, and maybe even more so. "And you are mine." She told him.

Zorn smiled and closed his eyes; before he breathes his last breath.

He's dead…and she knows it.

Tears spill down her face, but she forces herself to leave him, Zorn was gone now and no amount of tears would bring him back. But at least she would have a part of him back some day. Nigai allowed that one thought to fill her with the strength to keep moving. She had to leave for now, but one day soon she would return.

For the very fate of Irk depended on it…

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_**-To be continued**_


	2. The New Norm

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim, and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **Okay so I'm not sure how I'm going to do Dark Harvest so I'm stalling by using another chapter for the sake of plot. Please don't kill me.

With that said please enjoy Chapter 2!

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**Chapter 2: The New Norm?**

**(One Month After Anabel's Return...)**

Everything was different now,

Dib Membrane yawned loudly as the smell of bacon and eggs drew him out of a deep sleep. For a moment the smells of a homemade breakfast seem out of place in the Membrane house hold. Then suddenly with a flash of movement he springs out of the bed eager to start the day. He threw on his favorite shirt and jeans in a matter of seconds before rushing down the stairs. It has been 30 days in counting and still for some reason he gasp every time.

"Dib slow down you'll trip down the stairs." Annabel lectured only to let out a big "oof" as her son rammed her with a big hug.

"Good morning Mom." He said. The word mom still got caught in his throat. He just couldn't believe she was back after all this time.

"Good morning." Annabel smiled and allowed herself to join in on the hug.

"Seriously?" Gaz asked from the kitchen table. "You do this every morning."

"So this is not a normal human custom?" A girl sitting beside Gaz asked.

"No Dib is just being clingy." Gaz teased.

Dib pulled away from his mother and gave his sister the infamous _'I know where you sleep' _glare.

"I don't think it's clingy." The girl from before said. "If my parents were here I'd do the same."

Dib allowed himself to get a better look at the girl sitting beside his sister. At a glance this rather pretty girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes looked as normal as any human being. However the truth was this girl was anything but human. Her name was Queen Luna, and she was the leader of the Magladies, a race of blue skinned humanoids with long pointed tails and flowing white hair. Of course thanks to the small watch like device on her wrist she was able to appear more human.

Luna called it her "blending in" device, and from what Dib was told the Irken enemy had similar devices. Which were used to allow them to blend in with their targeted race. It amazed him that aliens had the capability to appear so normal. It also made him wonder if there were more aliens out there besides the ones that came here with his mother.

"Dib why don't you grab a plate and eat." Annabel suggested. "The bus will be here soon."

Dib nodded and grabbed a plate before sitting down by Luna.

"Moon sweetie!" Annabel called up the stairs. "You're running late again!"

Luna smiled as her younger sister Moon came racing down the stairs seconds later, like her sister Moon was currently disguised as a human girl with blond hair and blue eyes. Today she had on an olive green jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a pair of jeans and a gray T-shirt with a bright red Rebel Alliance logo on it.

Luna also wear a similar shirt, and had explained to Dib in the past that it was the logo of the Galactic Alliance, a Rebel cell of several Alien races that were working together to fight Irk. Many of them if not all had lost their homes and their families to the Irken machine. They had once lived on Zoran, a desert planet just outside of the Milky Way galaxy where they were forced to flee to Earth.

Now the members of the Galactic Alliance were living in secret on Earth with the help of the Swollen Eyeball. Of course Luna and Moon moved in with Dib and his family since they were used to being under Annabel's care. If anyone one were at school or around town asked about them Dib and Gaz were to explain that they cousins you had recently moved in with them.

And now that the Membrane household was finished with all its repairs there was plenty of room for everyone, including 2 other new members who had yet to make it to the table. Of course this came as no surprise to any of them.

"Lard Nar, Dad?" Annabel called this time towards the basement door. "Breakfast means family time!"

Family time, it was now a very serious thing in Membrane household, and no one was allowed to miss it.

"Oops that's my Que!" professor Membrane joked as he walked in from the basement. "Sorry Ann we were discussing the latest search parameters." He explained as his kissed his wife on the cheek.

"So you still haven't found it?" Luna asked, sounding worried.

And rightfully so, for over 15 years the members of the alliance had been looking for pieces of a weapon that was said to be strong enough to destroy Irk once and for all. The AI's had hid the pieces here on Earth for safe keeping, however after years of searching one piece had yet to be found.

Dib wasn't sure how he felt about the news of a weapon that could destroy an entire race. Sure he knew the Irken race was bad news, but to completely annihilate them? Surely there was another way to reach peace besides eliminating their entire race. Surely an intelligent race like the Irken's could be reasoned with, and yet all efforts towards peace had been halted. The Irken race was destroying every planet it got a hold of, and there were only so many of them that supported life.

Which meant destroying Irk for good; just might be the only way to preserve the rest of the universe.

And yet Dib couldn't help but silently breathe a sigh of relief that the tool to defeat Irk had yet to be found.

He was not the only one.

An elderly man about Dark Booty's age came out of the basement, His name was Lard Nar and he was shorter than most humans, but that had to do with the fact that he was actually Vortain, the Vortains also known as the Vorts were once an ally of the Irken race until they were enslaved just last month by an Irken Invader known as Larb. Making him the only free Vort in the universe.

Lard Nar smiled full heartedly as Annabel presented him with a plate of fresh fruit. Vorts were not meat eaters and only needed plant based foods to survive. Dib always found it amazing to observe the different eating habits of other aliens. And Lard Nar was always eager to answer any questions Dib had. And boy did he have a lot of them. The child was constantly asking Lard Nar about space and things like did Vort have an Atmosphere? And, what were their seasons like? Did they even have seasons?

Upon hearing this question Moon and Luna had been very eager to hear what exactly a season was. Which surprised Dib to say the least. However, Lard Nar had explained that while Magladies home world resemble Earth the planet. Their home had more land then water and was currently in the middle of what humans would call an Ice age. This explained why Magladies skin was blue, it was due to the effects of the cold.

Of course thanks to their time on Zoran they knew what hot felt like, and Dib had explained that warm weather meant Spring and Summer on Earth while Autumn and Winter were saved for the colder parts of the year. Luna always thought it was so amazing how one planet could go through so many different weather changes. While Dib thought it was so strange that not all planets that supported life had multiple seasons.

"Do you think we'll ever find it?" Moon asked as Lard Nar set down beside her.

"I don't know." Lard Nar answered honestly. "And I'm not so keen on using it either." He added.

"No one wants to use it my friend." The final resident of the house, Richard said as he grabbed his own plate before sitting down beside Moon. Richard Page was Annabel's biological father who had join the Galactic Alliance when she was still a child. It always warmed Dib's heart to see so many people at the table, for so long it had been just him and Gaz eating together, but now things had changed. This mostly had to do with Annabel who decided that they should spend time as a family while they still had it. And after so many years of being apart Dib and Gaz couldn't help but agree.

And with Halloween just around the corner Gaz decided that they should have a Halloween party as their first family celebration. Of course Moon, Luna and Lard Nar had never heard of Halloween, and found the tradition intriguing and yet confusing.

"So you dress up like monsters and scary things and demand candy?" Luna had asked.

"And they have to give it to you?" Moon was just as surprised. Sure she may not be human but like all ten year olds she fell in love with the confection known as candy. In fact she told Dib that many races had their own versions of sweets including the Irkens. Dib always found it so strange that so many alien races could live light-years away from each other and yet have so many similarities.

Any way it wasn't long before Halloween became the most exciting subject in the Membrane house hold and for good reason. It was to be the first of many for all of them. For Gaz it would mark the one year anniversary of hers and her Girlfriend, Peg's relationship. It was also the first holiday that the whole Membrane family would be enjoying together in a long time. But most importantly to Dib, Halloween would be the first holiday that he spent with his own boyfriend Miz.

Dib smiled at the thought, he and Miz had been dating for a month now and a lot had happened since then. From near misses from alien adversaries to nearly being destroyed by super germs. The two had gone through a lot together and Dib was hopeful that they would go through so much more.

Suddenly a loud honk of a horn can be heard coming from outside.

Annabel looks out the window and stomps her foot as the school bus zooms by the bus stop without even stopping. "Not again." She moaned. "I was so sure I started breakfast early enough this time."

"It's okay mom." Gaz assured her. "We don't mind walking."

"I know it's just getting so cold outside." Annabel sighed. "Miz nearly froze his nose off last time."

Dib smiled at the memory. Last week Miz and Peg had shook things up by walking over to his house instead of the other way around. And Miz looked like a frozen Popsicle when he came through the door, a sight which sent Dib into a laughing fit. Of course Miz responded to his laughter with one of his famous outburst, declaring his hatred for the cold and everything in it. He also vocalized that if Dib wanted to keep his tongue he better stop laughing this instant.

Lard Nar was also smiling at the memory, he had not expect such behavior from the child, mostly because he knew he was Zim in disguise. Lard Nar had known Zim when he was Dib's age and they had once been close friends. That was until Zim betrayed Lard Nar in order to save his own skin. And in their time apart Lard Nar had feared that Zim would be as cold and vile as any Irken. However, he was pleased to find that Zim was just as he always had been.

Such a fact gave him hope that maybe just maybe this time around Zim would make the right decision and stand up to his people. Lard Nar looked to Annabel knowingly, besides him, only the AI's and Mrs. Bitters knew who Miz really was. Of course, he wanted to tell the rest of his allies the truth, but he feared that exposing Zim would do more harm than good. The Galactic Alliance thought Irkens were only capable of evil, and would not give Zim a chance if they knew he was really Irken. Plus Zim himself was not ready to embrace his true defective nature, and exposing him now could cause him to run and disappear altogether.

And if that happened it would be Vort all over again.

No! This time things would be different! He would convince Zim to do the right thing. Not just for those who suffered under Irk's thumb, but for the Irken race as well. In less than 3 months' time Zim would be announced as the Taller and future ruler of Irk. And if Lard Nar could not convince Zim to change his people for the better then the AI's would use their weapon to eradicate the entire Irken race!

And yet even though he knew this knowledge he felt powerless, Zim chose Irk over him the last time, and he was bound to do it again. But Dib, things were different with him, and Lard Nar didn't have to understand everything about the human race to know what was going on. He could tell by the way Zim talked to the boy, his body language said it all. To Zim, Dib was more than part of his cover…

He actually had feelings for the human, feelings that ran deeper than just a mere friendship.

Lard Nar smiled; Dib was the key to converting Zim, he just knew it. After all Zim was a clone of Tallest Zorn and he himself had allowed his actions to be influenced by the one he loved. Still Lard Nar could not help the fear that naturally settled deep within his gut. So much was riding on this and the fate of universe was a lot to place on a 17 year old's shoulders.

Lard Nar had already made this mistake before he had expected too much from Zim at that age. Was it right to do the same to Dib now?

The sound of the door bell ringing causes Dib to jump to his feet, he races to answer it knowing good and well that he looks way to eager. And yet he can't seem to help himself; with every passing day of their relationship his feelings only grow stronger. And even though a part of him was saying he and Miz were taking this relationship a little too fast, he couldn't stop himself. It was like he couldn't breathe when Miz wasn't around, like he was forced to hold his breath until he saw him again.

Dib opened the door to find a very cheerful Peg embracing him.

"Happy Halloween!" She exclaimed giving him a furious bear hug.

"Peg." Dib groaned obviously disappointed that she wasn't who he thought she was. "Halloween is next week." He reminded her.

"A true believer celebrates all month long!" Peg said as a matter of fact. Today she was wearing a Jack 'O lantern shirt with an orange skirt and black leggings.

"Peg you must be freezing." Annabel said as she noticed the thin leggings.

"I believe in suffering for art." Peg assured her.

"Well I don't!" a voice declared shoving his way through them in order to get inside.

Dib smiled as Miz bulldozed threw him; apparently Miz showed affection by being as mean as possible. Dib however, is beginning to understand it as a form of endearment Miz is not mean because he's evil. No Miz was mean because he had a hard time letting people in, and his rude behavior was his best source of self-defense. Dib once thought this had to with the fact that someone had hurt Miz in the past.

However, Dib had learned it was actually the complete opposite; Miz had hurt a close friend of his badly, and now he pushed everyone away in hopes of never doing it again. Nevertheless Dib was determined to help Miz see past this and finally forgive himself, a task easier said than done.

"It is freezing out there!" Miz continued ranting. "And you are crazy to think otherwise."

Dib stiffened a laugh, and Zim gave him a warning look; honestly he would never understand how this child could enjoy his company so much. He was seriously trying to push the child away, but the more he tried the closer they seemed to become. He knows this relationship has gone too far as it is, and yet like Dib he can't seem to control the urge to be by the other's side.

Lard Nar does his best to not draw attention to himself, as he stiffens his own laugh. Miz is wrapped in a heavy winter coat and wearing thick gloves. This of course, doesn't surprise him. Irkens could never handle the cold in fact anything under 80 degrees felt uncomfortable to them. This had to do with the fact that they had little to no body fat to help regulate their core temperature.

Zim notices Lard Nar's reaction, but does his best to ignore it even though deep down he wants to interact. Something they haven't done since the Vort arrived to Earth. Most of his refugees had acquired human disguises and were hiding among the human populist something he had yet to inform the Tallest. Zim knew he could get in a lot of trouble for not telling them that the Galactic Alliance, a known enemy of Irk had set up base on his assigned planet. And yet he was hesitant to report it, and it was all Lard Nar's fault!

If the Tallest saw him, they would recognize him as the Vort scientist Zim was supposed to kill! His loyalty to the empire would be under severe scrutiny if they were to find out. Something Zim could not afford, He had worked too hard and had done so many unspeakable things in order to appear normal. He could not be found out now, otherwise it would all be for nothing!

Of course Lard Nar was only a fourth of the problem, Dib obviously was another, and then there was Tak who had grown quiet for the past month. But even the Irken who was bent on revenge was not the greatest danger to him. For the fourth and last problem was also the greatest, The AI's were on Earth, and the one known as Sari seemed to be watching his every move. He wasn't sure how, but he could feel her watching him, and yet he still could not bare to tell the Tallest. Even though he was sure Lard Nar knew who he was, even though he knew the AI could destroy him with a single blow.

He refused to admit that he had been compromise, such a thing would put a blemish on his otherwise perfect record. Something he as a defective could not afford! The truth was he was in way over his head, but like a true Irken he refused to accept defeat! He would overcome this mess he was in one way or another, obviously his best bet was to kill Lard Nar like he was supposed to all those years ago. And yet even after a century and a half Zim could not bring himself to do it. Heck he couldn't bring himself to look at his old friend much less finish the job. And yet ignoring him was impossible because Dib found him so amazing!

He was constantly asking him questions about space and Aliens even though Zim was making it pretty obvious to everyone that he wanted nothing to do with him. Dib thought this had to do with how Miz had dealings with the Irken back in Egypt where he learned that he couldn't trust other humans much less Aliens. And yet Dib couldn't help but be curious, and deep down Zim couldn't blame him.

For he too had once been that curious child that asked Lard Nar so many questions about the defective world. A world that seemed so much more familiar then his own in more ways than he'd care to admit.

"Well I guess we better go before we're late again." Luna said giving her sister a hug. Since Moon was only ten she went to the Elementary school on the other side of town and usually got a ride from Annabel.

Zim wasn't crazy about Luna but naturally she had been welcomed into their group dynamic with little to no hesitation from Dib and the others. It wasn't that Zim hated the Magladies to be honest he never met one before, Luna just acted so high and mighty all the time. Sure he understood that she was the heir of her people, but Luna was too upstanding for Zim's tasted. As royalty she looked down on others, something Zim could tolerate when it was directed at others, but to look down on an Irken was asking for trouble. And sometimes Zim had a hard time controlling himself.

And he wasn't the only one who noticed, many of the human students at school thought she was stuck up and full of herself because she spoke with authority. Naturally, Dib defended her saying it would take time for her to learn how to act human. Zim knew he was right, the girl was a child after all, one from a long line a royalty she didn't know how to act around commoners.

Peg had a different opinion, she thought Zim didn't like her because their personalities were too similar and in a way they were. Zim too was full of himself, and as an Irken he was rightfully supposed to be. Luna was just nicer about it, which seemed to play on his nerves for some reason.

Luna personally didn't see the need to keep a low profile, nor did she understand the human social ladder, and these two things alone was why she was having trouble. For example she once nearly got in a cat fight with Trina Home the Queen Bee of the School simply because Luna did not understand why she got to be the popular one. As the "Queen" of school she should be nice and treat her subjects fairly. Zim spent the whole day trying to explain to her that she wasn't really the Queen of the school. That "Queen Bee" was just term used to describe her, and her royal highness still didn't get it!

Still Zim did his best to accept her since the rest of the group was so found of her. And if Zim was being honest he'd had to admit that Dib was probably right: A child needed time to learn. Zim simply did not have the patience to put up with it.

"You guys have a good day." Annabel told them.

"Okay Bye." Gaz said pushing everyone out the door. Sure she loved the fact mom was back, but she could be so clingy sometimes.

A cold breeze flashed by them as they started the journey to school and Zim walked close to Dib in hopes as using him as a shield. It works for the most part, and he even allows the child to hold his hand. A habit that Dib seemed to develop overnight. Something he thought was rather strange since his first crush had used his sexuality to openly humiliate him.

Zim however decked anyone who even looked at them the wrong way something Dib found rather sweet, and encouraging. It also helped that his super scary sister was in a similar relationship, and no one would dare look at her the wrong way. Zim seemed to have adopted a similar reputation among his fellow school mates, like Gaz ticking Miz off was just asking for trouble.

Dib could remember the time Zim had beat Torque, the school bully nearly senseless for pointing and laughing at them holding hands once. And no one dared to step in, it was moments like this that Dib was reminded that Miz could be dangerous at times, but he also found the gesture sort of sweet. It was nice to have someone willing to fight for you. Besides having a scary boyfriend had its benefits for the first time ever Dib felt like a normal kid. He was no longer the weird guy who talked about aliens.

No now he was the guy with the scary hot boyfriend, and while he hated when Zim started fights he had to admit it was a step up from "Crazy Alien Kid!"

Zim on the other hand was not so accepting of his recent behavior, the truth was he had become quiet possessive over the Dib which in Irken terms meant his feelings for the child were getting more serious. Something he could not afford, and yet he continued to encourage this relationship.

Why?

Because for once in his life Zim can say without a doubt that despite all the lies he was happy. Truly happy, something he had not been in a long time. He knew the new norm that he had found himself in couldn't last much longer, and yet he couldn't help but milk it for all it was worth.

It was Vort all over again!

Still Zim found a smile slip on his face he would allow himself to indulge a little while longer, besides the enemy was closing in on all sides so it wasn't like he could do much work anyways.

However, a certain Irken female was tired of watching and waiting for the enemy to make the first move.

"Meow." Mimi warned her as they watched from the bushes on the side of the road as they had done for 30 days straight.

"I know it's risky." Tak told her in a harsh whisper. "But I am tired of waiting." She admitted. "If the enemy won't make the first move; I will." She explained. "All I have to do is distract them."

"Meow." Mimi asked.

"How?" Tak echoed. "Simple the enemy already knows Irk is here."

"Meow." Mimi taunted.

"So all I have to do is show the humans that Miz and Zim are one in the same." Tak reasoned.

"Meow." Mimi reminded her.

"I'm not exposing us, the human government doesn't believe them about Aliens." Tak reminded her Sir unit. "All I have to do is expose Zim in a way that only the Swollen Eyeball and the Alliance find out."

"Meow?" Mimi asked.

"How does that help us?" Tak sounded offended. "Easy." She answered. "Once Zim is exposed they'll be so busy trying to catch him that they'll never see me coming." Tak laughed evilly at the thought. After days of laying low she was finally going to shatter the peace around her.

And she knew the perfect way to do it!

* * *

_**-To be continued**_


	3. Dark Harvest (Part 1)

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim, and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes:** Okay so I finally found a way to work Dark Harvest into this series. Please let me know what you guys think.

With that said please enjoy Chapter 3!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Dark Harvest (Part 1) **

**(Back with Dib and Zim…)**

**[Location: Homeroom…]**

They had known that the peace would not last and yet neither of them thought it would be shattered in such a bizarre way.

Homeroom had begun as it normally did, Mrs. Bitters gave roll call and then began to go on and on about the impending doom of the world. Honestly it was like the woman was trying to prepare her students for the alien invasion without telling them that one was actually already in the works.

Dib personally found the idea brilliant and wondered why he never thought to do the same. _'I wonder if everyone would find me less crazy if I just screamed "DOOOOMED" over and over again.'_

Zim however, rolled his eyes at her efforts, the human race was as gullible as they came, minus a chosen few. Heck at this rate Zim was sure he could run around in his true form with nothing but a wig and some fake eyes as a disguise; and these idiots would probably still buy his lies of being normal. It was like Earth was begging to be conquered.

Suddenly Recap kid, or Melton as he is more commonly known comes bursting through the door. He looks a little green and he is wobbling as he walks.

"Melton you're late!" Mrs. Bitters screeched, the sound is almost inhuman, reminding Dib that his initial suspicions of her not being human might actually be true. However, before he can think further on the matter Melton leans on the door frame as if for support.

"I'm not feeling so well…" He admitted before falling over.

Mrs. Bitters springs into action and races to his side so fast even Zim has a hard time following the movement.

'_Okay note to self._' Zim thought as he had his PAK make a mental note. _'Figure out what Mrs. Bitters really is.'_

Mrs. Bitters examines the fallen child and shakes him lightly. "Melton?" She asked. "Melton can you hear me?"

The child gives no response as Mrs. Bitters continues to look him over, suddenly her eyes widen and she looks to Zim.

Zim froze on the spot as her eyes look at him almost accusingly, _'Does she think I did this'_ He wonders. _'Did Lard Nar tell her who I really am?'_ Yes, it was no secret to Zim that Lard Nar knew who he reality was, their conversation upon the Vort's arrival was far too familiar to be a coincidence. In fact, it was almost identical to the conversation they had when Zim had arrived on Vort for the first time all those years ago. And yet, neither the Swollen Eyeball nor the Galactic Alliance had made a move to apprehend them.

Which could only mean one thing.

'_He didn't tell them about me.' _He thought. _'And I'm not telling the Tallest about them.'_

So why was Mrs. Bitters looking at him like he had just killed this boy?

Mrs. Bitter's eyes softened at his reaction, at first she thought Zim had done this, but upon seeing his shock expression she changes her mind. Irkens were never good liars, and his reaction looks too honest to be fake. _'He didn't do this.' _She realized. However, the realization does little to comfort her fears. She could tell by looking at this boy that something was seriously wrong with him. His appearance told her it was something internal though she couldn't figure out what. "Dib call 911." She instructed. "Miz help me move him to the clinic." It takes them a moment to respond to her commands, and to her surprised Dib actually snaps out of it before Zim can manage to get a hold of himself.

'_He's been thrown off his game.'_ She realizes _'This must be the work of that female, Tak.' _Thanks to Lard Nar's arrival the Swollen Eyeball had learned the identity to the female Irken who was currently targeting Dib and Zim. "Miz we need to hurry." She insisted.

"Right!" Zim shook his head as he got to his feet and ran over to help. Dib was already on the phone with the operator requesting that an ambulance be sent right away. He hangs up the phone and rushes over to help them move Melton.

Melton moans as they pick him up and begin carrying him down the hall towards the clinic.

"What's wrong with him?" Dib asked franticly.

"Not sure." Mrs. Bitter admitted as she forced them to quicken there pace. "His symptoms seem to suggest something internal. I won't know until we get a look at him." She says as they make to the Clinic where a stretcher is waiting for him.

Once they place him down gently Dib pulls out his phone. "What we need is a way to look at him on the inside." He pulls up an App called "Crop Circles" magazine!

"What are you doing?" Zim asked slightly annoyed. Leave it to a human to get on his phone the moment a disaster happens. The Irken found it silly that a race could depend on a single device as if it was important as their next breath.

"I'm looking for something that can help us." Dib told him. He stops as an ad for an item appears from within the app. "Personal x-scopes." He said. "I think this will work."

"What do they do?" Zim asked as he looked to Mrs. Bitters. The teacher was talking to the EMT's who had just arrived to load Melton into the Ambulance.

"It allows you to look at people's insides." Dib explained.

"Well I don't mean to rush you but our test subject is getting away." Zim warned him.

Dib looked up to see that it was true Melton was indeed being hauled away. "I'll still get them." He told Miz. "Something tells me this has something to do with our Irken friends."

"You think it's Zim?" Zim asked knowingly.

"Well no." Dib admitted. "I mean I know I blamed him for the germ thing, but this is too extreme." Dib explained. "The other one, Tak she seems to be more of the risk taker."

Zim nodded. "Yes Zim would never make such a scene it might risk exposer of his existence to our government."

"But why would she?" Dib asked. "Isn't she risking herself too if it works?"

"Perhaps she hopes exposing Zim will distract us, allowing her to move more freely." Zim answered the obvious.

Dib nodded as he went to order the personal x-scopes. "Using Zim as a distraction would give her an edge." He admitted as he finished the order. "Okay they should be here soon." He told Miz.

Zim nodded, not in the least bit worried about the purchase. The personal x-scopes were a good idea, besides His disguise was equipped to make him look as human as possible. That included his inner organs, if anyone were to give him an x-ray they would see normal human bones. And a CAT scan would reveal normal human organs. So as always he was in the clear, but that might not be the case for Tak.

'_If she's using outdated gear like I think she is. We might actually be able to use them to see her. Even if she's invisible'_ he thought.

"Do you think we can use them to see Tak when she's cloaked?" Dib asked, obviously thinking the same thing.

"Maybe." Zim answered. "From what I've seen Irken tech is pretty advance."

"Won't hurt to try." Dib said as Mrs. Bitter turned to address them.

"We're going back to class now." She instructed them.

"But shouldn't we investigate?" Dib asked.

"Dark Booty will take care of it." She assured them, but whispered lowly. "Don't get involved in less you have to."

Zim nodded, obviously Tak was trying to target him again, and since Dib had as bad habit of being so close to him he too was in danger. The fact that Dib was in her line of fire actually struck fear in the male Irken, though he couldn't explain why. But for some reason, he had an unmistakable urge to protect the boy beside him.

Which was exactly what Tak was counting on!

'_She knows about us.'_ Zim realized. Though he had to admit he wasn't surprised the Irken female found out. After all, they weren't actually trying to keep their relationship a secret from anyone. But did Tak know his feelings were real? Or did she just assume he was using Dib as part of his cover. '_Either way I can't let her find out these feelings are real.'_ He said. _'She'd use it to her advantage.'_

Zim clenched his fist in rage, just the thought of Tak threatening Dib caused him to see red, reminding him just how far he had let his defective feelings run wild. He shook his head as he, Dib, and Mrs. Bitters reentered the classroom and took their seats.

"Now as I was saying." Mrs. Bitters grabbing the attention of the class who had been muttering softly to one another. "Ring around the rosy refers to the horrible symptoms of a terrifying disease!"

Zim gave her a weird look, "Ring around the rosy? Seriously?" he asked openly, but Mrs. Bitters payed him no mind.

Suddenly a delivery man walks in the room with a package. "Uh delivery for a Dib Membrane?" He asked

"That was quick." Zim noted out loud as Dib got to his feet.

"I had it expressed." Dib explained as he went to take the package and sign for it.

"No fair!" Tina said. "How come Dib is allow to receive Packages?"

"SILENCE!" Mrs. Bitters screams as the Delivery man runs away fearfully at her outburst. "Dib no more strange packages at school!"

"Yes Mrs. Bitters." Dib answered trying to hide his smile. He had never once been the favorite student before, but he was beginning to think that he just might be hers.

"Awe she likes you." Miz teased openly.

Dib gave his boyfriend a half-hearted punch in the arm. "Jerk."

"And then the rats came for them, thousands of them. Dirty, dirty, rats!" Ms. Bitters hissed, going on. "And these weren't the cuddly kind of rats you get in today's sewers!"

Suddenly Peg comes racing into the class "Uh Mrs. Bitters?" She asked fearfully.

"Again!" She asked Dib knowingly.

Dib gives her an innocent look. "I didn't call her."

"It's an emergency!" Peg insisted as she grabbed both Dib and Zim by the arm.

Dib pulls out the two personal x-scopes he ordered and handed one to Zim "Put this on." He instructed.

Zim obeyed and looked around the room to see the organs of his classmates all around him. "Neat." He admitted.

"And what kind of an emergency is that?" Mrs. Bitters asked, looking suspicious.

"Gaz has a …..Pencil lodged in her…Brain!" Peg said, obviously lying.

"How far is it?" Mrs. Bitters asked smiling slyly.

"Uh…" Peg struggled. "Pretty far?"

Mrs. Bitters sighed. "Fine, it's not like I'm teaching anything important here." She said, searching her desk for a hall pass.

"What's so important about ring around the rosy and rats?" Zim asked pushing the X-scopes to the top of his head.

Mrs. Bitters shook her head. "You poor clueless child." She said shuffling around some more. "Sorry Dib I only have one normal hall pass." She said taking out a metal ring with two blinking lights and placing it around Zim's neck. "If you leave school grounds it will explode." She told him.

Zim's eyes widened. "What kind of school is this?"

"Dib, you will have to take the auxiliary hall pass!" Mrs. Bitters went on, ignoring Zim's comment. She pointed at an old radiator that had "Hall Pass" spray-painted on it.

"You want me to lug that around?" He asked.

"Our school budget is suffering." Mrs. Bitters explained.

"But you can afford hall passes that explode?" Zim asked as Dib walked over to the radiator.

Dib froze. "Does this explode too?" He asked fearfully.

"No…" Mrs. Bitters answered. "Wait…probably." She admitted.

"You know I think we're more threatened by this school than Tak." Zim said to Peg.

"No time!" Peg insisted as she rushed them out. "We have a crises to handle." She grabbed Zim by the arm and pulled him along.

"But its Dib's sister." Zim complained. "Why do I have to go?"

Dib grunted as he dragged the radiator behind him as they walked out into the hall. "And how did she get a pencil lodged in her brain?"

"She didn't." Zim said rolling his eyes at the boy. He then looked to Peg knowingly. "BTW you are the worse liar ever."

Peg blushed sheepishly. "I know." She whined. "But there really is something wrong with Gaz." She assured them.

"What?" The boys asked in unison as they entered the clinic once more.

"That." Peg said pointing at Gaz who was sitting in the waiting area.

Gaz looked fine enough, however She was POKING herself near her stomach…What the?

Dib put on his X-scopes and gasped! Gaz's Game Slave was inside of her in place of her actual stomach organ which seemed to be gone. "Gaz?!" He exclaimed.

"Don't bother me, Dib. I'm in the zone." Gaz mumbled.

Dib bit his lip worryingly "Miz…"

"I see it." Zim responded, his X-scope was also trained on Gaz.

"What is it?" Peg asked fearfully.

Dib was about to answer when the Secretary who was sitting behind the check in counter cut in.

"Are any of you here to see the green kid?" She asked.

"The green kid?" Zim prompted.

"Yes the green child." She went on. "He's right over there doubled over in pain!" She said cheerfully, pointing at a bench sitting across from Gaz.

The child was obviously a freshman and was doubled over in pain, moaning horribly. "The meowing! The meowing!" He shouted, his skin visibly green with sickness.

"The meowing?!" Zim asked, obviously confused.

"He's missing his liver. That's how some kids react to the cafeteria food. The lucky ones." The Secretary explained.

Frowning, Dib pulled the x-scope over his eyes, and an x-ray view of the boy revealed…YES! His liver had been replaced with a hall pass similar to the one Miz had now. Dib's eyes go wide, as he clenched his fist. "It's Tak! It has to be! She's stealing organs and replacing them with... stuff!"

"Are you sure it's Tak?" Peg asked.

"Yes." Zim stated. "She's trying to distract us, or something." He shook his head. Honestly, he had no idea what that female was up to. Stealing Organs! Was she mad? And what was with this meowing?

"We have to do something." Peg insisted.

"Like what?" Zim asked. "Scream to our class mates that an alien is trying to steal their organs like a bunch of lunatics?"

Peg gasped and Zim froze as he remembered that this was a sensitive subject for Dib.

"Uh no offense." He told him.

Dib smiled. "No it's okay I did sound pretty crazy back then." He admitted. "Anyway He's right no one will believe us."

"So what do we do?" Peg asked.

"We track her down ourselves." Zim suggested. "We'll start by looking for Dark Booty. Mrs. Bitters said he would start looking into this."

"I'll stay with Gaz." Peg said sitting down beside her. "If more people show up I'll let you know."

Dib and Zim nodded before sharing a look.

"These are serious odds." Zim warned him. "Zim toyed with us, but this Tak seems to be playing for keeps."

Dib nodded. "You watch my back, and I'll watch yours." He told him.

"Agreed." Zim answered before they set off to find Dark Booty not noticing a part of the vent shaft was opening within the clinic.

Suddenly as a clear bowl like instrument was being lowered over the secretary's head…

Peg notices and goes to warn her but it's too late for her, it's too late for any of them.

Instantly another part of the vent shaft opened up above her, She looks up to see a similar bowl and…a Cat?

"Meow." The cat sneered as the bowl inched closer to its prey.

Peg goes to scream, but it's no use; seconds later the damage is already done.

Tak laughs full heartedly as another precious human organ is added to her collection. "Excellent work Mimi." She tells her Sir unit. "And now that we have our target's attention let's go play."

"Meow?" Mimi asked.

"I think it's time Zim and I finally had a face to face…" And with those final words she raced off through the vents to find Zim with her faithful companion close behind.

* * *

_**-To Be Continued**_


	4. Dark Harvest (Part 2)

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim, and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes:** So I know it's been two months of no updates and that's my fault. I am currently in the process of planning a new BillDip story, and would like my other 2 BillDips to be done before the end of July so I can start this new adventure. However, because of this the "Help! My Boyfriend's An…Alien?" Series has kind of been left in the dark, But no more! From now on you will at least get a chapter every 2 weeks if not more.

With that said please enjoy Chapter 4!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Dark Harvest (Part 2) **

**(Back with Dib and Zim…)**

They had found Dark Booty in his "lar."

Actually, it was nothing more than a janitor's closet, but Dark Booty proclaimed. "Boy's welcome to my lar!" As they walked in.

"Some lar." Zim teased openly only to shake his head as he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Tak was busy stealing organs and he needed to get to the bottom of it. Not waste his time telling jokes. And it is in that moment that Zim contemplates on his decision to inform the Tallest of what was really going on. He had yet to tell them about Tak, he also had failed to report the arrival of the Galactic Alliance. Two very important details that he knows without a doubt that his leaders should know.

And finding out about this information at the last minute would only enrage them more. Red and Purple hated being the last ones to know anything especially when it came to Zim who they claimed was their closest friend.

"Sir it's horrible!" Dib was explaining the situation to their senior partner. "It's Tak she's stealing-"

"Human organs I know." Dark Booty cut in. "I was cleaning the halls when I noticed the green kid doubled over in pain by his locker." He explained.

"Why organs?" Zim asked out loud. He just couldn't understand it. There were a lot of ways that Tak could get his attention without using such a dramatic scene. So what was her end game? Did she even have one? Or was she so bent on revenge that she didn't care about exposing herself to the enemy.

Zim could see the latter being the case, after all she was an Irken female and they were known for their scorn. However, Zim was beginning to understand Tak's lack for self-preservation. And it's reason was soon presented to him.

"I tried to inform the government of what's going on." Dark Booty said with a defeating sigh. "But they won't believe me, not without some hard evidence."

"People's organs are missing and being replaced with random stuff!" Dib shouted. "And that's not reason enough?"

Yes, this was why Tak was not bothering with being careful. The human government did not believe in Aliens, so she could expose herself to the Swollen Eyeball and the Alliance without fearing any backlash. Zim however, was forced to play the stupid human child while the other aliens who arrived with Dib's mother were forced to play similar rolls.

In short Tak's enemies did not have the same freedoms she did, and she was taking advantage of it!

'_Not for long.' _ Zim growled inwardly as he pressed a button on his watch. It was a silent code for the computer to send over his robot double with the aid of the principle. _'It's time to even the playing field.'_ He thought with a wicked grin.

If Tak wanted to play dirty, than he'd show her just how dirty this game could get.

"Let me guess." Dib said, bring him back to the moment at hand. "We're not allowed to get involved."

"Dib I could waste my time telling you not to." Dark Booty said, he had been tinkering with something or another at his desk. (It was a small desk that barley fit within his "Lar"). "But we both know you two are going to do the opposite anyway." He added. "Besides I see Mrs. Bitter's has already given you her blessing."

"What blessing?" Zim asked.

Dark Booty gestured to his neck. "That is all you will need to stop her."

"My hall pass?" Zim asked. "This is my weapon?"

"How am I supposed to save everyone with a 62 pound Hall Pass?" Dib exclaimed.

Zim suppressed a chuckle. "Well I guess I could throw this at her." He thought out loud.

"And blow up the whole school?" Dib reminded him.

"Right." Zim said, and then smiled. "But if we get it on her she won't be able to leave school grounds!"

"Now you're thinking." Dark Booty praised as he took the device off of Zim.

"Okay so his works for something." Dib admitted. "But what about me!?"

Dark Booty hands Zim his Hall pass and goes to speak only for the lunch bell to cut him off.

BRIIIIING!

"No time!" He insisted a he began to push Dib, Zim, and the large Hall pass out the door. "We must contain the problem before the end of the school day!"

"But!" Dib insisted.

"Look I want to expose them both I do." Dark Booty said. "But now that I think about it, our Allies are here, and they're aliens too, so perhaps it's for the best that this incident doesn't get out."

Dib froze, he had never thought about that before. If they exposed the Irkens, Queen Luna and princess Moon could be put in danger. With the existence of Aliens confirmed all of his mother's closest friends even Lard Nar could be at risk.

"We must contain the problem before the day's end." Dark Booty instructed them. "I am creating a device that can repair the damage she's caused, but I need those Organs back!"

Dib and Zim nodded.

"Retrieve them and meet me back at the clinic." Dark Booty instructed. "And whatever you do be careful!"

And with that he slammed the door in their faces.

"Well I feel the love." Zim joked.

"Miz this is serious." Dib warned. "How are we supposed to stop her?" he asked. "We barely out smarted her last time."

"We'll have to split up." Zim insisted. "I know it's risky." He added seeing Dib's reaction. "But you heard Dark Booty we have until school's end and it's already noon."

Dib bit his lip at the realization. This meant they only had less than 3 and a half hours to stop Tak before their classmates' parents would be expecting them home. "Okay but keep your communicator on." He warned.

Zim nodded and went to leave, Dib grabbed him by the arm.

"Miz…"

Their eyes meet, and for a moment Dib feels the need to kiss him. They hadn't kissed since Parent Teacher Night, and Dib was beginning to think this might be their last chance.

Zim was thinking it too.

"I'll see you soon." Zim said pulling his hand away before racing off. He didn't have time for this, with the help of the principle Gir should have already placed his robot double inside his locker for use. He had to make the switch and track down Tak and put a stop to this before she ruined everything.

Dib resisted the urge to go after him as he began to lug the heavy radiator across the hall. He was tempted to leave it, but Dark Booty said it was useful. And his teacher had never stirred him wrong before. He decided to start with the Lunch room, and get a feel for how bad the problem was getting.

"Meow."

Dib flinched as he heard the unmistakable sound of a cat, for a moment he can't place why this sound scares him, but then he remembers.

The green kid! He kept saying "The meowing!"

"TAK?" he exclaimed a little too fearfully. "Do not show fear!" He reminded himself, looking resolute as he stood proudly. "HA! THIS is me without fear... and a 62 pound hall pass…" He added, groaning as he continued on his way.

"Meow."

He heard it again, this time he was sure it was coming from above him.

His eyes widen. "Miz she's using the air vents!" He realized as he shouted into his communicator.

Meanwhile, Zim had finally reached his locker and looked around to see if the coast was clear. Seeing that it was he entered and shut the door behind him. And just as he hopped his double was waiting for him and imminently came on line.

Zim wasted no time turning off his disguise and handed the Hall Pass and communicator to his double which had just started buzzing with Dib's warning.

"Miz she's using the air vents!"

"Copy." The double answered as he left the locker. "I'm on my way back to you, don't lose her." He ordered as he exited the locker and raced back where Zim had come.

Zim waited an agonizing few minutes before he too left the locker. He felt fully exposed, but just like Tak he knew that it no longer mattered if the enemy saw him. The Swollen Eyeball would not risk exposing them to the government until they could ensure the safety of their Allies.

Zim smiled as he looked up at an awaiting air vent. He jumps up on the celling and opens it with ease before retreating into it. It was dirty up here, however such filth could not keep his growing excitement at bay.

It had been a long time since Zim had such odds stack against him, and he couldn't help but feel the need to thank Tak for giving him such a worthy challenge.

In the meantime Dib was trying his best to keep his cool as he neared the cafeteria, several of his fellow students were racing past him to get their meals. They all looked fine for now, but Dib knew that could change at any moment.

He wanted to scream at them "Your organs aren't safe! Run for your lives." But he knew Miz was right, that would be silly, and wouldn't solve anything. So he forced himself forward, and after what felt like forever he made to the cafeteria where ALL of the students seemed to be affected. Bulging bodies, groans of pain, people colliding with each other.

"Look at them!" Dib said, eyes wide with horror. "And it's not even ketchup and rice day!" He exclaimed, before slapping his face. "Get a grip Mothman." He warned himself.

Tak smiled as she eyed the boy through the vent. She can't believe Zim was actually stupid enough to leave him alone. "This is it Mimi." She whispered. "We expose Zim to him and my enemies will be so busy fighting each other that I will be able to take control of this planet with ease! And then I'll enslave the humans to gather their resources for me!"

Yes, it was the perfect plan, and it all started with Dib!

Dib put on his x-scope to check and gasped as he looked around the cafeteria, looking at Trina, Gretchen, and Tae…one had a ruler, one a remote control, and one had an alarm clock!

Carl had a carton of milk!

Penny had a CAT! A LIVE CAT!

"MEOW." Her Cat-Kidney remarked.

Then he saw him.

Torque Smacky was…NOT green, eating well, and lifting weights! He was healthy! And possibly Tak's next target!

"You! You look like you still have all your organs!" Dib proclaimed, rushing to him. For a moment he feels like he's acting like his old crazy self, but he ignores it.

Torque felt his chest, then looked at Dib like he was slow. "Yeah, so?"

"You're in danger! Come with me!" Dib insisted.

"Look DORK, I gotta go lift things!" Torque snapped getting up.

"Um, then I'll come with you!" Dib insisted.

Torque shrugged. "Whatever weirdo." He said as he walked away lifting his weights.

Dib, who was still lugging around his Hall pass followed closely behind Torque he was babbling on and on about Irk. He knows he sounds crazy, but honestly his babbling seems to be the only think keeping him sane. Besides, this is what his fellow peers expected from him.

So it was pretty fair to say that if Dib got all serious Torque might actually feel cause for alarm, and as much as Dib hated it, until they could ensure the safety of their new allies the truth about Irk had to stay hidden.

"And he wants to DESTROY US ALLLL! But Tak she's ten times crazier! Now I know you think I'm crazy, but she's a maniac you'll thank me. YOU'LL ALL THANK ME!" Dib insisted.

"Man, you're creepin' me out!" Torque muttered.

DA-DUM!

A grill from the vent shaft was pulled off as the meow of a cat was heard…

Dib froze he had gotten so lost in his outburst that he almost didn't hear the threat.

Dib looked around the hallway and NOT at Torque. Therefore he wasn't able to stop Torque from being snatched up by a pair of mechanical limbs behind him.

Dib then he stopped as saw a flash of light coming from a classroom out of the corner of his eye. He looked around, noticing that Torque is gone.

"Torque? Torque Smacky, is that you?" Dib called out, rushing inside.

He flipped the light switch and a dull light went on as he walked through the biology classroom, past tubes containing strange things…

"Come on, man! Talk to me! Let me know you're still here!" Dib called out.

Dib continued to walk by some more strange organs, including some eyeballs, a liver with wings, and what looked like a dead, pink bunny with sunken eyes. Part of him wanted to stop and question these things, however he was too focused on the fact that Torque was gone, and possibly in the hands of the enemy because of his carelessness. He headed towards an x-ray and his skeleton appears as he passes by it, but undenounced to him the enemy's shows up right behind him.

And then a barbell rolled out from a nearby corner, it rolled under Dib's feet causing him to fall over…and Dib heard a small cat meow.

"Torque?" Dib asked hopefully, though deep down he knows better. The light switch came off with a TWHOMP as the meowing of the cat continued. Dib felt a nameless terror grip him as he stumbled to his feet. Instinct was telling him to get out of that room as fast as possible.

So he did the only thing he could do, he pushed the 62 pound radiator towards the invisible enemy before making a run for it!

There's an audible hiss as the radiator hits the target, Mimi, who is holding the container of organs is suddenly trapped as the radiator transforms into a cage around her.

An alarm goes off.

"Mimi disassemble and escape throw the bars." Tak ordered as she turned off her cloaking device.

"Meow." Mimi asked.

"The organs?" Tak repeated her question with disgust. "Leave them." She ordered. "They've severed their purpose."

Mimi saluted her and followed her command, disassembling her parts and moving them in between the bars before putting herself back together.

"Come we must hurry before we lose our chance at Zim!" Tak ordered and in seconds they are cloaked once more racing after the enemy.

Meanwhile, Dib hurled himself down the hallway he could feel the enemy getting closer and closer. Dib ran into the boiler room, down a spiral staircase, panting as the steam rose up higher and higher. He ran across a grated catwalk and looked around.

No sign of enemy greeted him.

Had he done it? Had he escaped?

He turned around and bumped into the last person he expected to see.

Which was ironic considering the circumstances.

"Zim!" Dib exclaimed in surprised.

The male Irken loomed before him in all his glory, and for a moment Dib thinks this is it!

This was the moment that his stupidity got him killed.

Dib shivered as he remembered just how close Zim got to killing him last time when he caught him in the woods.

However, the attack never came instead Zim stepped forward, his ruby eyes looking past him. "Brace yourself." he warned.

And that's when Dib felt it, the unmistakable sense that something was behind him.

He turned but saw nothing.

Zim though is not fooled. He smiles. "Hello Tak." He mused.

Dib gasped as Tak suddenly appears as she decides to de-cloak and reveal herself. Mimi does the same, and for the first time Dib can see that the cat is a robotic companion, almost like Zim's own Sir Unit.

"Long time no see." Tak teased, in a mocking manner.

And as Dib heard her voice for the first time the gravity of the situation suddenly hits him.

Here he was stuck in between two Irkens with no weapon, and no back up.

Yes, this was it, he decided, this was how he was going to die!

* * *

_**-To Be Continued**_


	5. Dark Harvest (Part 3)

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim, and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes:**

With that said please enjoy Chapter 5!

* * *

**Chapter 5: Dark Harvest (Part 3) **

**(Back with Dib and Zim…)**

He had expected all hell to break out at any second, but surprisingly the two Irkens seemed to be in no hurry to make the first move.

"So?" Tak asked Zim knowingly. "Are you impressed?"

"Impressed?" Zim's outburst startled Dib and what was even more startling was that the male Irken actually pushed passed him to stand in between him and the female. "Are you crazy? This extreme stunt of yours has cause way too much attention!"

"I'm sorry I thought you enjoyed a challenge." Tak teased.

Dib however, is currently floored. The two Irkens were basically acting like he wasn't even there.

Zim's PAK legs were drawn in seconds his mouth dripping saliva as he gave a firm warning hiss. "I am giving you one chance to make the right decision." He growled. "Leave this planet and I will do you the honor of not reporting your where about to our superiors!" Sure, he didn't like the idea of letting her get away, after all Tak was a wanted fugitive, one who knew a very dark secret of his.

But recent events had forced him to see the bigger picture, if Tak would just leave quietly than Zim would once again have a handle on this situation. So when he finally decided to report the arrival of the alliance to Earth it would make it sound like he had everything under control. Instead of, "Well I'd love to stop the Alliance, but I'm too busy trying to eliminate the competition!"

No that would never do!

In short, Tak had to go, and her going by her own choice was far less messy and gave them a better chance of not exposing themselves any further to the enemy.

"What is this?" Tak scoffed. "A peaceful solution coming from the conqueror of 9 galaxies?" She spat. "Time on this worthless mud ball has made you soft."

Meanwhile Dib was having a hard time processing all of this. Zim wasn't here to kill him, instead he seemed to be defending him. Not only that he was demanding Tak to leave Earth, so did that mean he was defending Earth? Where they on the same side?

It would seem that way, but Dib knew that when it came to Zim he couldn't assume anything. The guy seemed to let the moment drive his every impulse and right now the driving impulse looked ready to kill. And getting in the way of this battle just might cause him to meet an untimely demise.

And yet a part of him was annoyed, here he was, their enemy. And the two Idiots were so busy fighting each other for this mission that they weren't even giving him the respect he deserved! So he decided that he would make his presence known whether they wanted him to be here or not.

"Uh hi!" He said feeling a little stupid. "Dib here, just one question." He took a deep breath and screamed. "What the hell is going on here?"

"It's a standoff." Zim tried to explain.

"No I get that!" Dib snapped. "What I don't get is why you!" He pointed at Tak dramatically. "Decided that the best way to get our attention was to steal people's organs and replace it with random junk!"

"See even the Earth Monkey thinks you went too far!" Zim lectured.

Tak expected the lecture, she really did. As much as Irkens loved to walk all over each other they also wanted their race to look superior above all else. And being told off by an inferior life form was making them both look bad, but Tak stood firm. "I wanted to test the enemy's response." She answered. "How would they handle this knowing they can't go to their government for help without exposing their friends?"

Dib was floored Tak knew about the Galactic Alliance? Did that mean Zim did too?

"This was still reckless." Zim continued to lecture. "I'm cutting the cord now Tak, you are done."

"Oh you mean like I was 138 years ago?" Tak taunted.

"138 years ago!" Dib screamed despite himself. "Just how old are you?"

Zim gave Dib a _"You're kidding me right now look."_

Dib blushed as he realized. "Right, not the best time to ask." He pulled out his laser sword and got into a fighting stance. He knew thanks to their previous encounters that this weapon would not give him much of an edge. Which was why he insisted on Dark Booty giving them more than some clanky hall passes, but at the moment this was better than nothing.

"Stay out of this worm." Zim warned his eyes never leaving Tak.

"As if!" Dib challenged. "If anyone's going to defend Earth it's going to be a human, not you!"

"Shouldn't you be more worried about your boyfriend?" Tak sneered.

Zim's eyes narrowed.

"Gee I wonder where he's gone." Tak continued to tease.

Dib however, miss reads it. "You! What have you done to him?" He demanded as he swung his sword at the female. And even though Dib misses her by a huge margin Zim can't help but feel moved, knowing that the boy would fight for him when he had no chance of winning at all.

'_That's because he doesn't know who, or what you really are.' _ His programming reminded him.

'_Let's keep it that way.' _ Zim advised himself.

"You fool!" Tak hissed as she used one of her PAK legs to knock Dib off his feet. "You're so blinded by his charade you can't see the truth right in front of you!"

"What truth?" Dib asked, obviously confused, but before she could answer him Zim charged.

With a battle cry that could only come from a warrior that had experienced death Zim used his Pak legs to jump several feet, knocking into Tak as he went.

Dib watched as the two Irkens tumbled several floors below, their battle movements mirroring that of two spiders lock in a fight to the death.

Zim dodged a Pak leg and sliced through the air with one of his own. She dodges it with ease and jumps into midair, before catching his chin with a round house kick. She followed after with a stab of her own, and felt pride as she actually managed to draw blood.

Zim is also impressed with her efforts, but he recovers quickly enough, spinning out of the way of a third blow before lashing out with one of his own.

The blow makes contact, but the female blocks it with her PAK legs, resulting in her sliding only a few feet back across the floor.

"You've improved." Zim noted. "I'm impressed." He admitted.

"I've been training on Hobo 13." Tak bragged.

"So Sergeant Hobo 678 is training traitors." Zim mused knowingly. "I wonder how the Tallest will feel about this news."

"He's not training a traitor!" Tak hissed. "You're the traitor!"

Dib who was making his way down to them froze. Did he just hear her right, Zim was a traitor? But how?

"You're the one who should be fighting for his survival, but you framed me and took all the glory for yourself!" Tak went on.

"So that it?" Zim scoffed. "This is about revenge?"

"This isn't about revenge, this is about getting what is rightfully mine!" Tak screamed as she attacked delivering blow after blow.

Zim dodged these gracefully, allowing Tak's anger to do most of the work for him.

"I should be the Tallest's favorite! This should be my mission! I'm the real invader, you're nothing! Nothing but a stupid defective!"

'_Defective?' _Dib thought. _'What's a defective?'_

Zim, who had had enough of her mouth took the moment to strike, the sharp end of his PAK leg sliced across her face, nicking an eye and blinding her.

Tak howled in pain and that's when Dib charged down the remaining stairs and swung his sword at the enemy. Tak had just enough time to block it with her Pak leg, however she left her back exposed.

And that's when he appeared out of nowhere, jumping from several floors up Miz swooped down and looped the hall pass around her neck. Tak threw him off as it locked into place. Her eyes widen as she sees him, she's obviously confused.

"How?" She asked, but before she could Zim struck her from behind and Tak falls forward on her knees stunned. She was surrounded by the enemy on all sides. "You would side with them?" Tak hissed in discuss. "Where is your honor?"

"A reckless child like you does not deserve an honorable fight!" Zim snapped. "What if your plan had gone wrong? Like it is now? Do you have a backup plan for being captured? Or do you think you're so good that you're untouchable?"

"You won't let them take me alive." Tak challenged. "It will expose you too!"

"Depending on me to save your skin?" Zim was outraged. "And you dare to lecture me about honor. A true invader would have a contingency plan for every possible outcome! You may have learned how to fight, but you still have a lot to learn about being an invader!"

Tak sees red, but only because she knows Zim is right, and the fact disgusts her so. She got too impatient waiting for him to make the first move. Not only that but she gave into her weakness and let her anger fuel her actions. In short, he was right Tak had a lot to learn about being an invader.

But that didn't mean she was giving up that easily.

"Mimi!" She screamed.

The cat like Sir Unit charged catching the enemy's attention, and Tak used that moment to turn on her cloaking device.

"Oh no you don't!" Dib placed on his X-scopes and smiled as he realized he could see her. He takes advantage of this new found knowledge and goes to deliver a blow of his own.

Tak sees it coming and the fact that this worthless little worm had technology that can out due hers hits a nerve. "You insolent," She struck, Pak legs ready to deliver a deadly blow.

She contact with someone's guts, but it is not human.

Dib is suddenly thrown back by Zim who takes the blow deep in his belly. It's not deep enough to kill or reach through him and his Pak, but it's enough to wind him, and Tak takes advantage of the moment to flee.

Zim falls to his knees, she should take this moment to deliver the deadly blow, to win the battle, but instead she retracts her Pak leg.

"Next time!" She vows to Zim before she moves to rip off the hall Pass which is like a collar around her neck.

Her Pak legs cut right through it, and before it can clatter to the ground she and Mimi are gone.

Dib is completely floored, both figuratively and latterly as he sat on the floor trying to piece together what just happened. That blow would have killed him…which meant… "You saved me?"

Zim forced himself onto shaking feet. He had to get out of here, no doubt the Swollen Eyeball would be sending reinforcements to their aid. "I told you." He growled. "The only one who gets to destroy you is me!"

Dib shivered as the Irken Male pressed a button on his wrist and in a flash of blinding white light he's gone.

Miz who seems to have remembered how to move rushes towards him. "Are you hurt?" He asked, his voice sounding fearful.

"No…" Dib managed to answer and is surprised as his boyfriend embraces him.

"Don't you ever do something that reckless ever again!" he yelled, hanging on to him tight.

Dib is stunned but manages to return the gesture. Miz was never know to be so open with his feelings, which meant, Dib must have really scared him. "I'm sorry." He said. "I'll never do it again…I promise."

"Idiot!" Miz gave him a full-hearted punch in the arm.

Dib just held him tighter. "I love you." He admitted much to his own surprise.

Miz pulls away, he looks stunned by the sudden confession, but before he can respond the moment is interrupted.

"Guys there you are!" Gaz exclaimed as she raced over to them.

"Gaz you're okay!" Dib let go of Miz and ran up to her.

"Yeah I'm fine." Gaz said. "Dark Booty found the cage with the Organs in it."

"Cage?" Dib asked.

"The Hall pass." Gaz said. "Didn't Dark Booty tell you what it does?"

"Uh no." Dib said. "I just pushed it towards the enemy." He admitted sheepishly.

"Well your dumb luck paid off." Gaz informed him. "It transformed into a cage and must have caught whoever had the organs."

"It didn't hold them long." Miz cut in as he got to his feet.

"Yeah but at least we saved the day." Dib said hopefully.

Miz smiled. "At least."

"Did something happen?" Gaz asked feeling as if she walked in on something.

"Only Dib almost getting himself killed." Miz snapped.

Dib smiled, Miz seemed to be back to his normal self and he was glad for that.

"Don't smile!" Miz scowled knocking him firmly on the top of his head. "Had it not been for him you'd be dead right now!"

"Him?" Gaz asked.

"Yeah Zim." Dib said. "Zim saved me…he jumped in front of me and…"

Gaz looked down and noticed the pool of pink blood. "But why would he do that?"

"I…I don't know." Miz answered. "He claimed it was because he wants to kill Dib himself, but…"

Dib bit his lip, he too felt like there was more to it than that. "Look let's just get out of here." He said. "And not a word to mom!" he warned them both. "You know how she's been since she's gotten home."

The answer was 100% overprotective of her little babies!

Gaz nodded her agreement and soon the three teens climbed up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Zim growled in pain from his hiding spot in the vents. His wound was healing, but it would take some time. He couldn't believe he had been so reckless. Here he was lecturing Tak about being careless and then he goes and takes a blade for the enemy.

If Tak had known he'd defend the child, and stabbed a little deeper…

'_You'd be dead.'_ His programing stated the obvious._ 'Perhaps it's time we come clean and get fixed.'_

Fixed, yes Zim had no doubt that Red and Purple would try to fix him. Zim could even come clean about Tak and blame her for infecting him with her defective ways. But returning to home world now would mean his mission would be a failure, and Zim's perfect record would be soiled.

No he would complete the mission no matter what! Next time he and Tak would settle things without Dib that way she couldn't use him to her advantage.

And with that thought fresh on his mind the Irken retreated further into the vents.

* * *

**(Meanwhile with Mrs. Bitters…)**

Reinforcements had come to Dib's aid, however, Mrs. Bitters and Lard Nar had decided to hang back and watch the scene play out before them.

And what they saw was very puzzling in deed.

"She is a loose cannon had Zim not been here-" Lard Nar began.

"I know." Mrs. Bitters cut in. "However, we both know that this is a fight of honor between two invaders, we cannot interfere." She warned. "He won't allow it, next time he'll make sure it's just the two of them."

"Still." Lard Nar was lost for words as he began to clean away the blood. "To take a blow for him…Dib…Dib must be really special."

"It's hard to understand innless you've felt it before yourself." Mrs. Bitters told him.

"So even Irkens are capable of love?" Lard Nar teased knowingly.

Mrs. Bitters nodded. "They like to act cold, but it's all an act, in fact Dib just might be the reason we win him over."

"Or he could be the reason that he stands firm in his leaders' beliefs." Lard Nar warned her.

"I know you are bitter about his betrayal to you." Mrs. Bitters said.

Lard Nar grimaced, it was true he was still bitter, but he didn't want to be. "I want to believe he will do the right thing, but experience tells me otherwise."

"Daughter will fix him." Mrs. Bitters assures him.

"And will that be enough?" Lard Nar asked.

"It has to be." Mrs. Bitters said sounding less sure.

"I hope you're right." Lard Nar said. "Truly." He added as he finished washing away the evidence of the fight.

Once done the two aliens disappeared back into the shadows.

* * *

_**-To Be Continued**_


	6. Birth

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **So I have noticed a lot of you ask very good questions in you reviews, and some of you even ask the same question.

So for now on I will feature some of your questions that I feel is better for understanding the full story better as a whole in my notes at the beginning of some chapters. Today's entry comes from SaintHeartwing. my most strict, but also one of my most helpful reviewers. SaintHeartwing'squestions often force me to rethink ideas, and debate on whether or not they benefit the over all story. And this one is no different.

**Question:** _Wait, why doesn't Dib notice Zim has a wound to the stomach? I mean, a PAK leg almost speared him right through. You'd think he'd be a BIT suspicious that Zim just HAPPENS to vanish just as Miz shows up, and they both have the same injury, and Zim is literally Miz backwards, and they even kind of sound alike. I mean, Dib's obsessive compulsive and he's not STUPID, at this point, shouldn't he begin to suspect?_

**Answer:** _First by the end of this chapter, Zim hasn't switched back with his double yet so "Miz" the robot doesn't show any wounds, plus if you remember in book 1 I explain that Irkens heal incredible fast, so by the time he does switch the wound will be barley noticeable. Secondly you are right, Dib's obsessive compulsive nature should be picking this up. But it's like Tak said Dib is blind to the obvious, because he loves Miz and will not think ill of him. Even though he points out several times to himself that both Zim and Miz are strangely similar and give him similar feelings. For example, Dib notices he sees the same thing in both of their eyes, and for a while he struggles with the question on whether or not this means Miz is his true love. He also notices with the incident with Keef that Miz can be cruel and even points out that his cruel and possessive nature when handling Keef is somewhat familiar. So yes, Dib is noticing that Miz is not what he seems, but his love for him makes him do exactly what Tak says. He's missing the obvious, however as I've already shown even though Dib is slow on the up take he is slowly beginning to see the parallels and eventually he will be able to push his feelings aside long enough to see the obvious._

Well, SaintHeartwing I hope my answer cleared things up a bit. As I said before by sharing reviews like this I hope give you all a better understanding of the story. As well as improve as a writer. I want my readers to know that I do take their reviews seriously, and ones like this always help me refocus the story as I continue to move forward.

With that said thank you SaintHeartwing & please everyone enjoy Chapter 6!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Birth**

**(Back with Mother Nigai…)**

**[159 years ago,…]**

**{Location: Irk, Birthing Chambers}**

She had waited centuries for this moment…

Centuries that felt like eons, for so long she waited, watching as that dreaded Irken female destroyed everything her beloved had worked so hard to build. Oh, how she wished she could lash out, to stop her and her ploys, but it would do her no good.

All of Irk was brain washed now.

All but two, Lineage and Daughter.

And knowing this brought her great hope, but also extreme fear.

For even though Daughter had freed the Computer brain Lineage from the Irken programing Nigai feared that now that Daughter and the rest of the AI's were gone that she was truly alone. This was because Lineage's reprograming was at risk of being figured out with each passing day, and if the enemy discovered the truth, they would undo all Daughter's hard work.

And then Lineage would tell the Tallest everything!

And still, even knowing this all Nigai could do was wait.

So, she waited, she waited, and wait as Lineage took her time choosing the perfect time to give life to the heir.

Nigai did not understand the need for waiting. Daughter had given her the sample of Zorn's DNA along with his PAK so why couldn't she just pick a clone smeet from the thousands she saw every day.

She asked Lineage this question the last time she had visited Irk, Nigai would visit every cycle, every 100 years disguised as an Irken Computer Brain Analysist. The Computer Brain Analysist were in charge of maintenance over all computer brains. So, every cycle that went by with no word from Lineage on the Birth of the heir should would come, disguised as an Irken female and finally last cycle she had asked Lineage the question.

Lineage's answer was simple. "I can not just give the sample to anyone, we only have one sample, one PAK. We must wait until the right smeet presents itself."

"What are you waiting for?" Nigai had hissed. "A sign?"

"Yes." Lineage answered. "He must be born defective, other wise his Irken programing will reject Tallest Zorn's defective PAK."

This answer, though frustrating made since to her. Defectives were rarely born these days, and most of them were eliminated before they even reached Lineage. However, the computer brain of Ancestry was sure that the right smeet would get past all of the earlier detectors and make his way to her.

And after nearly 400 years he finally did.

Nigai remembered the day she received word from Lineage that the heir was about to be born. The Brain had sent a hidden message to her threw the deep space radio channels that Nigai often listened to in order to keep up with galactic events. She remembered how her heart skipped a beat, ad her breath failed to fill her lungs.

He was finally here!

She wasted no time boarding a ship, by now she was well hidden on Earth, and even had started her own little army of humans to watch the stars for irks arrival. It was important that Irk did not discover their planet before the Heir was ready.

It took 6 months to reach Irk, and when she did, she disguised herself as one of the Irken Techs in charge of the newly born smeets. This got her as close to him as possible. For days she waited, watching the small smeets in their little tubs, her task was to count them daily, and ensure that they looked healthy. And as she counted them she tried to guess which of males was "the one." But she wouldn't know for sure until Lineage named him.

An Irken Smeet's name had a lot to do with who's DNA ran through their veins. When Irken's still reproduced the natural way Smeet's names always started with the same letter as their father and would have similar letters as their mother. And even though they cloned now, the same rules applied; all males were given names that started with the same letter as the one who came before them. The females, however, were named based of Their Paks. Since all Paks that weren't too damaged were recycled and reused Females name would start with the same letter as the last male who wear their PAK, the rest of their name would be decided by the owner of the female blood that was used to Clone their own DNA.

However, the heir would be special, since Nigai was Zorn's mate, this child was meant to be hers, and would have been if Myuki hadn't ruined everything! So, Zorn had left Lineage specific instructions. His heir would have a name that started with the letter Z, and that name would translate to the same meaning as Nigai's own name.

Nigai's name meant "One of Majesty."

So Nigai waited for a name that would start with a "Z" and have at least one letter "I" in it. (Since she had 2 in her name it only made since that this would be the vowel used) And had a similar meaning to "One of Majesty."

She didn't have to wait long, just three days after her arrival the batch of smeets she had been watching over were ready to be paired with their PAK's. Long robotic arms took them and cracked open their tubes like an egg before shocking them to life.

Each one opened their little eyes and stood on wobbling legs as the first of the detectors, a computer Brain known as Gage scanned them. Gage was the last detector to scan the smeets before they went to Lineage. All the others scanned the smeets in their earlier stages. When their minds where still developing within the tub.

Nigai held her breath, if Gage detected a defective it would likely be the Heir, but Gage's scan gives no cause for alarm and soon the Smeets are sucked up into a chute that takes them to the downloading chamber.

And more importantly to Lineage!

Nigai raced out of the room and up the spiral staircase towards the downloading chambers.

She couldn't get inside the chamber, but she could watch from behind a large glass that separated the chamber from an observation deck. Many other Irkens were there, including Tallest Myuki and her Successor Taller Spork.

This did not surprise Nigai, often the leaders would watch the naming of incoming smeets, for the name of a smeet revealed a lot about what rolls they would take once their training was complete. This was Lineage's whole purpose, to name a Smeet in a way that would portray their destiny. And as the current rulers Myuki and Spork wanted to see the smeets that may one day grow up to replace them. It was important to pinpoint the greatest of the batch from the beginning and start homing their skills in the desired way.

If not, Myuki feared the next Taller may not have her same ideals which could put all of her hard work into jeopardy. Her successor, Spork believe strongly in everything Myuki had brainwashed them all into believing, and his Successor could possibly come from this batch. That was why it was so important for him to see the ones that could be worthy enough to follow in his footsteps.

So, even though being in their presence disgusted her, she forced her attention away from them and focused on the chamber as the Smeet dropped down into the Chamber. It was a female, who bore a similar resemblance in Tallest Myuki. The Irken leader perked up at this, no doubt this one had her blood in her.

"Young one, you are three minutes old." Lineage said. "Prepare to be filled with the whole of Irken knowledge."

Suddenly a PAK is attached to the female and she is jolted with electricity.

"You have been given a name, IDENTIFY YOURSELF." Lineage ordered.

The female pauses and speaks. "I am TAK!"

Tak, so she as not Myuki's.

Nigai couldn't help but feel a little smug as Tallest Myuki's face fell.

"One of spirit." Spork said, looking impressed.

"Spirited ones are always trouble." Myuki warned. "Their emotions tend to run wild it makes their planning and execution flawed."

"Oh…I see." Spork said looking upset that he didn't dismiss her right away as his leader had done.

"She will make a great soldier, an invader perhaps." Myuki told him. "A Tallest however needs to rely on strategy not wild impulses."

Spork nodded, and even Nigai had to admit, not even the AI's would have chosen an impulsive Irken female as the next Tallest.

Once Tak speaks her name robotic arms dress her, and she is sent up another chute to begin her training. The first few years of training was the same for all smeets, however, the exceptional ones would make themselves known in a year or two and advance to a new class. They would keep advancing until they were deemed ready for the final exam.

Those who stayed behind or didn't advance as quickly as the other's would test much later than the exceptional ones and graduate in a later class. (**Author's Note:** This is why Tak did not graduate with Zim on planet Vort.)

Next up was a male with red eyes much like Zorn's.

Nigai perked up at this, was this her beloved's heir?

"Young one you are six minutes old." Lineage said, beginning once again. "Prepare to be filled with the whole of Irken knowledge."

Suddenly a PAK is attached to the male and he is jolted with electricity.

"You have been given a name, IDENTIFY YOURSELF." Lineage ordered.

"I am Red!" The child exclaimed, rather proud of his name, and rightfully so.

"A color, that is rare." Spork said. "Red means one of strong character."

"Yes, a bold leader." Myuki looks pleased. "He is a good contender."

Nigai couldn't help but feel worried, this was obviously not Zorn's heir, but he was a threat none the less. Just because the heir was chosen by Lineage did not guarantee him as the next Tallest. True, Lineage ultimately chose the next Taller, but if the heir proved not to be ready when the time came, Lineage maybe forced to choose another, and if so the Heir would have to wait until the next cycle to be chosen. And the life of an Irken was a dangerous one, one of War and death, if the Heir was not careful he could die before he was chosen.

Then all of this would be for nothing!

Honestly the thought had never crossed her mind, how could she forget such a crucial detail, that this was only the beginning of his journey.

It would be a hard road for him, one where his defectiveness would make him feel ostracized and alone. Oh, how she longed to be there for him, every step of the way, but this was his journey, one that like all great Irkens he must travel alone.

Soon Red was dressed and wisped away and a new one replaced him.

This one was a male who strangely had purple eyes.

"How strange." Spork said. "Usually females have such a feminine eye color."

"This is the one I told you about." An Irken said to Tallest Myuki. "The other one Red, he split into two separate cells halfway through development." He reported.

"So, it is a twin?" Tallest Myuki sounded very intrigued and rightfully so. Twins were rare in the Irken world, and now that Irkens where cloned it happened even less frequently. But every now and then a fetus would split into two during early development.

"Young one you are nine minutes old." Lineage said, beginning once more. "Prepare to be filled with the whole of Irken knowledge."

Suddenly a PAK is attached to the male and he is jolted with electricity.

"You have been given a name, IDENTIFY YOURSELF." Lineage ordered.

"Purple." The twin said.

"Another color." Spork sounded astounded. "Very rare indeed."

"One of charisma." Tallest Myuki nodded approvingly. "Another good choice."

Purple is dressed and sent away.

Next a rather small Irken male is presented before Lineage.

"Rather small that one." Spork sneered. "Looks like we've found our first Janitorial drone of the batch."

"I'm not so sure." Nigai voiced openly before she could stop herself.

"Oh?" Myuki asked.

"He had strong readings "My Tallest." Nigai answered quickly. "I just think we shouldn't dismiss him because he is small. He could grow to be something great."

Myuki seemed to nod at this. "She is right." She lectured Spork. "You know I too was small." She admitted. "But I never let that stop me."

"Let's see what Lineage has to say about him then." Spork snapped, feeling embarrassed that a lowly nurse maid drone called him out so easily. And worse still, that his leader had sided with her.

Nigai, however understands why Myuki sided with her. Since the Tallest was also born small, calling this young one worthless just because he was small had wounded her own pride. Something a true Irken never allowed.

"Young one you are 12 minutes old." Lineage said, beginning Again. "Prepare to be filled with the whole of Irken knowledge."

Suddenly a PAK is attached to the male and he is jolted with electricity.

"You have been given a name, IDENTIFY YOURSELF." Lineage ordered.

The child blinks once, then twice as if stunned by the knowledge he had just received.

Finally, he speaks. "I am Zim!" he yells rather loudly.

Nigai feels her entire being shake to the core as his name feels her ears. She smiles. "One of Greatness."

Tallest Myuki is also smiling. "Loud and proud." She mused. "His ambition will take him far."

Nigai couldn't stop her smile from growing as she watch the robotic arms dress the young smeet.

This was him, the heir of her beloved, the child that should be her son.

But he wasn't, not by blood; no, he was merely a copy of Zorn, but to Nigai he was everything she had ever wanted.

He was a symbol of hope, and already she could see Zorn's characteristics shining threw him.

"That's all the knowledge?" He asked, out raged. "you give me a name, just a name and call it the whole of Irken Knowledge!"

Nigai suppresses a laugh, the young one is already showing off his superiority to the machine before him. Not many Smeets would be so bold at such a young age. But with a name like his, he is born knowing he is better than the rest.

"He's the one to watch the closest." Tallest Myuki advised Spork, "A leader like him could bring Irk into new era. Whether He becomes Tallest or a high ranking general."

Taller Spork, though still bitter about being out done by a drone nodded his agreement.

And Nigai took one last look at her darling Zim before he was taken away then she moved to leave.

Even though every fiber of her being told her to stay. She had to leave for this was Zim's journey.

Besides she knew that one day, she would see him again.

And when she did Tallest Myuki's Rule and her influence over them all would be reaching it's end.

Yes, the Irken female may not know it yet, but her days were numbered.

Soon justice would be served.

It was only a matter of time.

* * *

_**-To Be Continued**_

_**Author's note**_

I would like to thank the Fanfiction Author: _RoxieDivine_ for allowing me to use her meaning for Zim's name _"One of Greatness"_ in my story arcs. For a long time I have drawn inspiration from her writing so please if you enjoy my stories go check her out at _ u/5332912/RoxieDivine_


	7. Halloween Spectacular of Spooky DoomP1

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **Okay I know I've been pumping out a lot of chapters on time recently. This is because starting August-November I will be starting the process of moving! Yes! Finally. This move has motivated me to get a lot of chapters done early since I probably won't have lot of time to write during those months. With the packing, the moving, the unpacking and the job hunting, I'm going to be swamped. But rest assured I have a game plan to get as far ahead as possible, so you don't have to spend 3 months of silence.

With that said please enjoy Chapter 7!

* * *

**Chapter 7: ****Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom (Part 1)**

**(Back Dib…)**

**[October 31st,…]**

**{Location: School}**

The rest of the week before Halloween had gone off without a hitch and once again life had returned to normal. And Dib found himself surprisingly grateful for the much-needed break, for it was very obvious to him that his constant bad habit of fining trouble was starting to catch up to him. Plus, the break also gave him time to think about his recent encounter with Zim. One that had him more confused than ever and for several reasons.

The first and most important being the fact that the Irken had saved his life! Had Dib been on the end of those Pak legs instead the teen had no doubt he would surely be dead. And that's what bothered him most. Zim could have been rid of him an advantage the Irken Invader couldn't possibly pass up, and yet he did.

At first Dib theorized that the Irken male simply wanted to save the honor of killing him for himself, but that just didn't seem right. Zim was advance life form, to allow something as simple as his own pride get in the way of the greater mission just seemed inferior. Besides, there was no time for Zim to think on whether or not he should save him. Which means the Irken did it on instinct.

An act that had not only him confused but his new alien allies as well.

When Dib told Queen Luna about this she was stunned. Saying Irkens don't sacrifice themselves for each other let alone a lower life form.

"He must think very highly of you." Young moon had muttered. "it's the only explanation."

And there lied the problem.

Dib just couldn't see why Zim would think so highly of him. Surely a warrior with his reputation had gone up against more honorable foes worthy of his admiration. So why save him?

And that was only the first question on Dib's mind. The other was what he had overheard Zim and Tak arguing about during their battle. Tak had called Zim a defective! What was a defective and why did it matter so much that the Irkens chose to fight over it. Dib had asked his mother these very questions.

"A defective?" Annabel had repeated.

"They kept going on and on about it." Dib had said. "What is it."

"I think it's best Lard Nar explains that one." Annabel answered. "The topic is just as new to me as it is you."

Of course, Dib wasted no time racing over to the Vort scientist to ask.

"Defective?" Lard Nar asked.

"Yeah what is it?" Dib pressed.

"It's a made-up term." Lard Nar explained. "The Irkens created it in order to describe the enemy."

"You mean us?" Dib asked.

Lard Nar nodded. "To be Defective means you don't believe in the same things as the Irken Empire. Our ways, our beliefs in their eyes it's a plague, a disease, they just don't see how a society like ours can hold itself together without our every action being micromanaged. Defective thoughts encourage Irkens to be individuals instead of machines. So, they eliminate them in order to keep control."

"They kill Irkens just for being different." Dib was stunned.

Lard Nar nodded. "To be defective is a death sentence on Irk, because of this a defective Irken will do anything to hide their true nature from Irken society."

And just like that everything about Zim that confused him just clicked.

The look on his face when Dib discovered him in the wood, Zim had him in his sights. Zim could have killed him, but he hesitated. It was obvious to Dib the Irken didn't want to kill him, heck he looked like he didn't want to be a part of the confrontation to begin with. And now Dib knew why.

Zim was defective, he did not believe in the Irken way. Which means he didn't real want to conquer Earth for his leaders. He was just afraid to stand against them, and Dib couldn't say he blamed him. It was obvious that Zim's life was not the cushy life Dib had gone up with. Tak and Zim fought like fighting to survive was the only thing they had ever known. And for both Irkens to act so similarly well it forced Dib to believe that Irken life must be a constant fight to stay on top. For them it was survival of the fittest, and if you didn't have what it takes you were cast aside.

Labeled as useless, broken, defective.

Yes, Dib could see the need for the Irkens drive to finish his mission swiftly. His every success proved to his leaders that he was everything he pretend to be. But while being defective explained a lot about Zim, it also opened up a whole new can of worms when it came to confusion and questions.

Why not fight back? Were his leaders so powerful and dangerous that all defective Irkens could do was just conform for their own good? when Dib shared these thoughts with Lard Nar, the Vort scientist had told him about how he met Zim and how he was different from the other Irken cadets. He also told him how Zim had betrayed him in the end.

"Fear is a powerful weapon." Lard Nar had told him. "It can make you do terrible things."

"Still to not even try." Dib was floored. "Doesn't sound like the Zim I've come to know." Yes, the Zim he knew was determined, deadly, and proficient. In fact, it fascinated him how much he had learned about the Invader in such a short time. And yet now it would appear he didn't know the real Zim at all. No, he knew the fake Zim, the one the invader used as a mask to hide his true self from the rest of his kind.

Which had him wondering.

What was the real Zim like?

"What does it matter?" Gaz had said when Dib asked her. "He's the enemy plain and simple."

"But aren't you the least bit curious?" Dib had argued. "He's fighting a war he doesn't even believe in."

"So, she says!" Gaz said, she referring to Tak. "For all you know she was just throwing an empty insult. Why do you care anyways?"

Why did he care? It was a valid question, and in reality Dib shouldn't care. Zim had chosen his side and Dib had his own to protect, and yet he couldn't just leave it alone. "Think of what we could learn from him." Dib reasoned. "Gaz we're going up against an enemy that has never lost a fight, not even Lard Nar can tell us how to beat them and he use to work along side them! You've seen their tech, and their tactics. Tak stole your organs along with the rest of the school just to test our response. They don't know anything but extreme measures!"

"And against such extremes we don't sand a chance?" Gaz asked. "Is that what you're saying."

"The rest of the universe sure didn't." Dib argued. "And they are far more advance than us, just look at the weapons Lard Nar made!" Dib gestured to the pile of weapons on the Vort's desk. "They had brilliant minds like his, and they still lost!"

"Look Dib I get it." Gaz said. "Learning about the enemy would give us an advantage, but you said it yourself. They are too extreme, there is no reasoning with them."

And yet Dib just couldn't get the thought out of his mind.

Manley because he felt like that if he didn't at least try he would be failing his fellow humans. Sure, Gaz was right, to think it probably wouldn't work, but what if it did? Of course, Dib had shared his thoughts with his boyfriend Miz. And just as Dib figured Miz was quick to decide against it.

"Are you crazy?" He had asked. He and Dib were currently looking through some modification to his father's dimensional scope. It was a device that could in theory see into alternate dimensions. Dib had gotten the idea to use it when Miz had admitted that his family never celebrated Halloween before.

Not knowing what to wear for the even Dib was hoping to peek into spooky alternate realities for costume Ideas.

"He saved my life Miz." Dib argued as he sat down at the machine. He peered inside the scope but saw nothing.

Miz obviously winced at his words. "Don't be foolish. What idiot would choose the enemy over their own race?"

"It's the right thing to do." Dib reasoned and to his surprise Miz laughed.

"The right thing to do?" He scoffed. "You actually think his kind cares about that."

"What if he does?" Dib argued. Dib turns a knob on the chair deciding to triple the outcome.

"Let's say he is defective or whatever." Miz exclaimed. "If he real cared about what was right then they wouldn't call him the scourge of 9 galaxies! Nine Dib! That's how many lives he's destroyed, 9 galaxies worth. I think it's safe to say he has no, since of justice."

Dib wanted to argue back, but it was obvious that Miz couldn't be reasoned with when it came to Zim. And after what the monster put him through Dib couldn't blame him. The same could be said about his new alien allies. By trying to reason with Zim, he was asking all of them to forget the crimes he committed against them. And from what he heard from his mother, grandfather and Lard Nar there was plenty of blood on Zim's hands.

9 whole galaxies worth.

Still, realizing this failed to answer his original question.

Why save him? If doing so only proved he was defective, and the Irken had already proved how easily he could destroy innocent lives over and over again. Why save him?

What made Dib different?

Dib didn't know, but after that he let the argument die and peered into the scope once more. Suddenly The lab turns into a nightmare version of itself with shadowy creatures creeping about. Dib also sees flashes of random objects, such as ice cream, and a nightmare lamp post. Then the lab returns to normal.

"Whoa what was that!" Dib had exclaimed.

"What was what?" Miz asked.

"I saw, something weird." He shook his head. "Never mind I've got what we need."

"Good cause this place is giving me the creeps." Miz had said.

Dib smiled knowing good and well that the only thing creeping Miz out was the disorganized clutter. "Clean freak." He mused with a playful poke.

Miz swatted his hand away. "There's nothing freaky about cleanliness." He reasoned. "Besides how does your father find anything in this clutter?"

Suddenly, a wadded-up piece of paper hit him square in the face.

"Dib pay attention." Mrs. Bitters snapped.

Dib shook his head and noticed Mary, a fellow classmate of his was standing in front of the class.

"Now since you felt the need to dress up on school grounds." Mrs. Bitters hissed "Tell the class what your costume is." She ordered.

Dib raised a brow. Mary was in a pink toto and slippers with a wand and a crown. Her fake fairy wings made it obvious what she was, but Mrs. Bitters didn't seem to care.

"I think unicorns and dragons are pretty! So that's why I'm a fairy princess for Halloween!" Mary declared proudly. "That and Mr. Suds said if we dress up he'd give us 20 bucks."

Miz smiled at her words. It was obvious to everyone Ms. Bitters hated Halloween, and while everyone else dared not to invoke her wrath but the janitor aka Dark Booty had bribed several students to wear costumes and had even gone as far as decorating her classroom.

Which explained the rotting jack-o-lantern on Ms. Bitters' desk.

"I was a fairy princess once, too..." Ms. Bitters said surprising them. "Everything was so nice and peaceful... 'till one day it all went horribly wrong!"

"Here we go again." Miz whispered to Dib.

Dib laughed.

"Yes, Halloween is just a shamelessly commercial ploy to turn children into candy-starved zombies!" Ms. Bitters.

"Has she always been like this?" Miz asked him.

Dib nodded "And everyone called me crazy, at least I didn't scream doom for an entire class."

"Maybe you should have." Miz teased.

"Very funny." Dib countered.

Miz snickered, relaxing a bit. Dib finally seemed to have dropped the whole Zim could be good nonsense and things had gone back to normal. Also, Zim's wound from Tak had healed up rather quickly making movement much easier.

"I wish she's just let us out early." Zeta said from beside them. "The rest of the school got to leave an hour ago."

"It's a shame a once a nice medieval holiday has turned into this." Ms. Bitters went on.

Dib gave her a weird look. Was Ms. Bitters hinting at the fact that she was around in Medieval times? Why else would she talk as if she knew from firsthand experiences.

"I'm beginning to see why you thought she was a vampire." Miz joked.

Dib nodded he goes to speak when suddenly the room around him changes in a flash of lightning. And once again he finds himself in a nightmare version of the world around him. He looks around the room to see monster versions of his classmates and a horrifying misshapen Mrs. Bitters.

"Now you all know what to do." Nightmare Mrs. Bitters hissed. "When the one comes we will finally be free of the awful place." She stops as if she senses something isn't right. Her head snaps towards Dib. "You!"

Suddenly all his classmates get up and hiss in his direction.

"Get him!" Nightmare Mrs. Bitters orders.

Dib screams as his nightmarish classmates pounced…

"Dib!" Miz shook the boy once more. "Snap out of it."

Dib jumped back as the world around him suddenly went back to normal. "Horrible Nightmare visions!" Dib screamed.

"It's called life, Dib. Sit down." Mrs. Bitters ordered.

Its only than that Dib realizes he's on the floor. Miz helps him up giving him a puzzled look before they take their seats.

Zita who is wearing a butterfly costume says. "Dib seems more crazy than normal today."

"Silence!" Mrs. Bitters growled. "Now Zita tell us why you decided to dress as an annoying insect!"

Zita stood. "I like butterflies." She said. "And if we're going to have to stay all day I might as well get something out of it."

"Early release was at the teacher's discretion." Mrs. Bitters reasoned. "And after the strange illness that hit the students earlier this week you are behind in school hours." She went on. "When you get to leave school early for Christmas break for staying later today you will thank me." She assured them. "And all those who already left will sit in the halls for several hours envying you."

Dib screams as Nightmare Mrs. Bitters replaces his teacher chuckling. "The time has come soon there will be a new world for me to ravage."

"Dib!" Miz yelled snapping him out of it.

Dib looks around frantically his eyes wide in fear. His breaths coming out in heavy pants. Is eyes settle on Miz who is giving him a confused and somewhat concerned look.

"Dib get a hold of yourself." Mrs. Bitters orders.

Dib tries to get a grip and looks at his hands only to scream as they start to disappear. "It's Happening... again!"

"Mrs. Bitters Dib is babbling like a maniac... monkey." Brian said the obvious.

Mrs. Bitters looks concerned but continues with class. "Who's next?" She asked.

The class looks away to discuss more costumes all but Zim who watches Dib.

What was going on with him?

Suddenly Dib completely disappears.

And despite himself the invader lets out a sound of surprise.

Mrs. Bitters sees it too, but before the rest of the class notices Dib has disappeared, he pops back into place.

"Monsters! Hideous monsters!" Dib screamed.

Zita raises her hand. "Ms. Bitters!"

"Yes, Zita?" Mrs. Bitters asked.

"I think Dib's even crazier than normal today! Can we use one of our crazy cards to send him to the crazy house for boys?"

"The what?" Miz asked.

Mrs. Bitters ignore him, giving Zita a grave look. "Each class only gets three crazy cards a month! Are you sure you want to use one?"

Zita looks over at Dib, who is sprawled over his desk babbling incoherently. "Yeah." She confirmed.

Mrs. Bitters still looks hesitant, mostly because she is, however there was not denying something was terribly wrong with the child. However, the school could not afford another fiasco. Her best was to use the crazy card and instruct Dark Booty and his to pick Dib up at the Crazy House latter. Ms. Bitters lifts up a crazy card. A panel on her desk flips over revealing a box. The box opens up and a metal ring lifts out. Ms. Bitters grabs the metal ring. It opens up as she brings it down on Dib. it wraps around his neck. Dib groans. Red lights on it blink. "I've activated the crazy collar. "The white coats will be here any moment."

Suddenly, the door gets busted down and two white coats, Chuck and Buck, rush in.

"There he is! Get him!" Buck yells.

Zim watches in disbelief as the two white coats tackle Dib and haul him away.

"No wait." Dib screams. "I'm not crazy!'

Suddenly the bell rings.

"Class dismissed." Mrs. Bitters states and the class races out happily to start the Halloween festivities.

All but Zim wo gives Mrs. Bitters a look.

"If I were you I'd look into that." Mrs. Bitters instructed him.

Zim's eyes narrowed. This had to be Tak's doing he was sure of it, and this time he would stop her.

No matter what.

Mrs. Bitters watched his go and once she was gone she picked up the phone, a moment later she spoke. "It's me I need you to go to the Crazy House and look into something for me."

"What is it?" Professor Membrane asked on the other line.

"Your son." Mrs. Bitters answered. "And Take Dark Booty with you, this could get messy."

Professor Membrane hung up the phone startled.

"Darling is there a problem?" Annabel asked.

"It's Dib." Professor Membrane said. "He's in the Crazy House."

"What?" Annabel was stunned. "Surely it's a mistake."

Professor Membrane looked thoughtful. "Don't worry honey I'll get to the bottom of this."

And he would, one way or the other.

* * *

_**-To Be Continued**_


	8. Halloween Spectacular of Spooky DoomP2

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **

With that said please enjoy Chapter 8!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom (Part 2)**

**(Back with Dib…)**

This couldn't be happening to him…

And yet no matter how many times he wished it wasn't so Dib could not make the situation that was unfolding before him stop.

Outside the school the white coats drag Dib to their truck where they open up the back and toss him into the padded back. Dib yells more out of shock than pain. He stands up and looks out a grated window and sees that the truck is moving. He walks over towards another grated window that separates him from the white coats but then falls over as the truck hits a bump. He bounces around, grunting; trying to gain his balance finally he manages to get up so that he can have a better view into the window. "Look, you don't understand!" he insisted.

"If there's one thing we understand, son, its insanity." One white coat said. She was big with a goofy look on her face and red hair. Dib observed that her name tag had the name Chuck on it. He wondered if that was her last name or if her parents had actually named their daughter Chuck!

Chuck pokes her forehead as she spoke.

Dib sighs and walks over to a padded wall and leans on it. As inconvenient as this was he knew Mrs. Bitters only did this to prevent another school incident. The last thing the Swollen Eye Ball needed was for the general public to find out the Supernatural world was real. Sure Dib believed his fellow citizens of Earth deserved to know what was really out there, but mass panic would surely follow. So, it was decided that keeping them in the dark was for the best. Besides Dib had no doubt Dark Booty would come and rescue him, and fix this. After all, Dib was pretty sure it was his father's machine that was responsible. He just hoped his dad could fix him in time otherwise his date with Miz would be ruined.

And being in a relationship with this job was already proving to be a challenge. Not because Miz was a handful (No he was always difficult.) Dib was just beginning to realize that every time he and his boyfriend had plans something always ruined it.

Suddenly, the arm he was leaning on disappears momentarily and Dib falls against the wall. He straightens himself up and then looks at his arms as they start to disappear once more. "Ah! No, not again!" he cried as his whole body disappears. "Noooooo!"

After a flash of light, Dib finds himself in a nightmare version of the truck he was in. It looks the same except darker and with pointy things sticking out of the padded walls. He looks out of the grated window and sees buildings flash back and forth from being normal to nightmare versions. Suddenly, a nightmare bat screeches in Dib's face. Dib backs away. The nightmare white coats start talking.

"He's the one! The one with the flashing neck! The one we've been waiting for!" Chuck's partner Buck exclaimed.

"She said he'd come, and he has!" Chuck agreed.

Dib runs over to the grated window separating him from the nightmare white coats.

"Waiting for me? What is this!?" Dib demanded to know.

"Shhhhh..." Chuck hissed as she turned her head around to look at Dib, revealing that it is a monstrous head with huge tusks. "We're talking all SPOO-KEEE!"

Dib falls backwards. The two nightmare white coats start whispering and muttering to themselves. Dib's arms fade away, followed by the rest of him. After another flash of light, he ends up back in the normal white coat truck. "Who's been waiting for me?" He asked, not seeming to realize he's back. "Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"What are you talkin' about?" Buck asked

"You said... the monster said... uh, oh, never mind." He sighed. "I'm sane you know." He added though he was sure neither of them believed him.

* * *

**(Back to Zim…)**

At the moment the Irken is pacing around in his disguise, Gir who is sitting on the living room floor before him is also in disguise. At the moment he is playing with a toy octopus as only a dog would. Shaking it around in between his teeth like a rag doll.

"This is serious Gir, something is wrong with the Dib, and she must be behind it!" Zim was saying.

"Sir I have detected no activity from the enemy." The computer brain told him.

Zim looked puzzled, he had told the brain to keep tabs on Tak since her little stunt earlier in the week. "It has to be her."

"Master where is my taquitos?" Gir suddenly asked as he stood up on his hind legs.

"Gir dogs to not walk on two legs." Zim lectured. "Besides we don't have time for taquitos."

GIR suddenly starts panicking. "But My taquitos!" He screams.

"Gir!" Zim gave a warning hiss.

"My taquitos! Eh, homina, eh... TAQUITOS!" Gir runs into the kitchen.

Zim sighs.

"Sir I assure you it is not her." The brain went on. "Besides perhaps you should use this time to get back to the mission."

Zim nodded thoughtfully, the computer was right, Zim had not delivered any new resources for almost a month. Surely the Tallest would call if he didn't send something soon, which was an event he'd like to avoid. "Very well I'm going out, make sure he behaves." He says gesturing to Gir who is walking out of the kitchen with a mouth full of taquitos.

"When did I buy those?" Zim asked.

"I made them." Gir answered.

Zim goes to lecture him about the fact that dogs don't cook but decides to just leave it, after all the enemy had stopped spying on him weeks ago. He supposed he could thank Tak for that, she and the arrival of the Galactic Alliance along with the refugees had the Swollen Eyeball fairly busy.

With that thought fresh on his mind Zim activates his robot double to keep up appearances just in case Dib managed to get out in time for their date before setting off into the setting sun to get some much need work done.

* * *

**(Back with Dib…)**

The young teen tried his best not to struggle, but being strapped into a chair with metal straps had an uneasy effect on Dib. Also there were Wires are attached to his head…for some reason. Finally a massive observation lens glares down on him from above as a team of scientists watches him from stands.

Dib knows this looks a bit extreme, but necessary. About three years ago a new disease had swept over the US. It was dubbed _Crazy Syndrome_ because it turned it's victims into crazy, and sometimes murderous lunatics. And thanks to his…uh colorful history of blaming people of being well…monsters. It was no surprise to Dib that these scientist thought he had caught the crazy!

A Scientist with purple goggled stands near him, holding a can of Poop soda. "Now Dib, tell us about these reality jumps, as you call them."

Of course, Dib had told them everything that happened, and what he thought it was, but he had yet to explain how it was even possible.

"It started yesterday." Dib said. I was in Dad's lab with my boyfriend Miz, making some modification to his dimensional scope, hoping to peek into spooky alternate realities..." He blushed as he realized he admitted he just admitted his sexuality to a bunch of strangers without even batting an eye. And for a moment he marvels at the fact that he no longer cared that people knew he was gay. He guessed he had Miz to thank for that. "...Also, with Halloween coming up, we wanted some cool costume ideas." He went on.

"See my dad wanted to finally prove if other dimensions were really possible or just science fiction. But I've always had this theory that some paranormal phenomenon might be the result of collisions between our world and these other dimensions."

"I see." The scientist with purple goggled said.

"I tripled the output, which was a little stupid, but I still didn't really see much. All I got was a brief flash of something, but that's it."

"Flashes of what?" The scientist asked.

"A nightmare version of our world." Dib said. "Oh and some random objects, ice cream, and a nightmare lamp post. I thought it was just a malfunction, So I didn't say anything to Miz or my Dad but since then the flashes keep coming...even without the machine...getting longer each time!"

"So I find you here, son. Oh, I suppose it was only a matter of time. You know not to use my tools for your para-science!" Professor Membrane spoke with Authority as he enters the room with Dark Booty by his side.

"Dad, I-" Dib begins, but his father raises a hand and Dib goes quiet. It is in that moment Dib realizes his father hasn't really changed. He still cares too much about his public image to defend him. None of his peers knew he was secretly protecting the world from aliens, no if they did he'd be just as much as a laughing stock as Dib.

Dib However knew this was the only time he'd get to talk to his father or Dark Booty to explain what was going on. So despite his father's feelings he continued as the other scientists start conversing among themselves.

"Look if the jumps keep getting progressively longer, as seems to be the case, it won't be long before I end up stuck, stuck in that horrible dimension!"

The scientist chuckle.

"Well Dib, hehe, we've got some bad news." The scientist with purple goggled said.

"I just told you the bad news!" Dib insisted giving his dad a very cross look.

Professor Membrane looks tempted to say something but the scientist with purple goggled cut him off.

"Yes, yes, trapped in a horrible nightmare world, very nice. Look, we've decided that you're insane. You'll be confined here for a period no shorter than the rest of your life. Enjoy your stay, bye bye."

"Nooooooo! You don't understand!" Dib exclaimed as the white coats came for him.

"Michael you cannot legally contain him without my consent!" Professor Membrane declared, it would seem he finally found his voice for he said this rather loudly.

"He's right." Dark Booty spoke up. "You tested the boy for the Crazy yes?"

The scientist with purple goggled, Michael nodded. "The results won't be in until the morning." He concluded.

Professor Membrane deflated, as he realized his hands were tied, Michael; who was jealous of his success had always did his best to bruise his reputation. And now it would appear Dib would be in his hands until the morning. No doubt this incident would be all over the news.

"We'll hold him for the night." Another scientist said. "If he is in the all clear we'll discuss releasing him."

"You can't be serious!" Dib yelled as the white coats grab Dib and rip him from the chair. "Dad do something!" He insisted before some kind of muzzle is placed over his face muffling his screams as they carry him away.

Prof. Membrane sighs. "My poor insane son."

Dark Booty gives him a distasteful look. Sometimes the man did some ridiculous thigs to keep his image.

"He'll be fine." Prof. Membrane assured him. "By morning he'll have figured it all out and when he's acting normal again with negative test results they'll let him go."

"How can you be so sure?" Dark Booty whispered harshly.

"Because I know my son." Prof. Membrane, surprising him. "And he always finds a way."

* * *

**(Back with Dib…)**

The white coats take the elevator to floor 13.

"Listen, this place can't help me!" He says though he knows the muzzle must be making it hard to understand him. "They don't have the equipment! I need someone-" He screams as the white coats toss him into a padded cell. Dib goes to run over to a barred window at the door when he stops. "Wait, it's happening again! It's... nooooo!"

A flash of light occurs in Dib's cell transforming the room into an organic nightmare cell hanging in midair. Other cells hang nearby containing nightmare monsters. One monster tries to solve a Rubik's Cube. Dib looks around at the other cells. One of them contains Keef. And the sight of him makes Dib jump back. Dib slips and moans as he slides down the slanted floor of his cell towards an opening in the cell grating big enough for him to slide through.

A toothy nightmare monster, appears on the other side of that hole, screeching. Dib puts his feet on the grating to stop himself from sliding out. He then crawls upwards and grabs his food dish which is attached to the cell by a chain. The toothy nightmare creature screeches some more and then leaves. On the other side of the cell, Dib sees a nightmare version of himself, and he gasped.

Nightmare Dib is in the shadows so Dib can only see his silhouette, but there's no denying that it's him.

"You're him! You're the one." Nightmare Dib said.

"The one what?" Dib asked.

"The boy with the flashing neck will come." Nightmare Dib explained. "He will be the key to freedom... and stuff"

"And Stuff?" Dib asked. "Look I'm not the one!" He insisted.

"You're telling me the prophecy is wrong?" Nightmare Dib asked. "Besides it's not me so it must be you!"

"I... gotta get out of this place." Dib said out loud. "Look you're me, help me out here."

"You want to get out?" Nightmare Dib asked. "Then you'll have to escape your own head, because that's where we are... In your head!"

"You're insane!" Dib insisted.

"No I'm- well... yes I am." Nightmare Dib admitted. "But it's true! This whole dimension exists in your mind, Dib! Maybe that's why your head is so big!"

"My head's not big! Why does everyone say that!?" Dib groaned.

"Look it's Dib." A creature whispered to another in a cell to his left.

"He has finally come." The other creature cheered.

"How do they know my name?" Dib asked his Nightmarish self.

"Everyone knows your name here. They're done with this place, ruined all of it! Now they want out, into the real world, and the only way out is through your head!" Nightmare Dib answered.

"So you're saying this world is a result of my own imagination?" Dib asked out loud. "You mean this is how I see everyone?"

Nightmare Dib nodded.

"Maybe I am crazy!" Dib muttered as a worm-like platform slithers up towards his cell, carrying the two nightmare white coats and a straight jacket creature. A walk way forms between the worm platform and the cell. The cell opens up.

"Neck blinking boy!" Nightmare Buck laughs. Suddenly a face on his coat comes alive and takes a bite out of an ice cream he's holding. Nightmare Buck punches the face and it makes a high pitched yell. Nightmare Buck then takes a bite from the ice cream himself.

Dib winces in disgust.

"It's time to go!" Nightmare Buck laughs as the straight jacket creature runs over to Dib and It wraps itself around him before he can act.

"Where?" Dib asked fearfully.

It is then that Nightmare Dib steps into the light, revealing that he is also in a straight jacket and that he has lobotomy scars. "Right through your big head!" He said laughing manically. "Just like they tried with me."

The straight jacket runs back to the worm platform carrying Dib with it as the cell closes behind them.

"My head's not big!" Dib insisted once more as the walk way connecting the cell and the worm platform disappears and the worm platform starts to lower down. The teen tries to think of a way to escape but before he knows it they're outside once more. They all head for a Nightmare version of the white coat truck.

"The machine's almost ready!" Nightmare Chuck says as her partner opens the back of the truck.

"Soon the time will be right!" Buck agrees, but stops as aflash of light occurs. The nightmare white coat turns around and sees that Dib is no longer in the straight jacket creature.

"He's gone! Oh no!" Buck exclaimed.

"He'll be back." Chick assured him. "Now Go on! I like it when you do those speeches all scary like!"

Nightmare Buck Shrugs. "Hmm, okay. But then we go tell the boss what happened." He clears his throat and shuts the back of the truck as he says. "Soon the time will be right for our ravishing conquest of the new world."

* * *

**(Following Dib…)**

Dib appears in a middle of a corn field… running franticly, he is now wearing a a real straight jacket which hugs him loosely. He shrugs it off as he keeps running.

_'__I have no idea where I am.'__ He thought. '__Or when and where I will appear when I flash back to that horrible place.' _

_'__Come on Dib think.' _The rational part of his brain said. '_Dad's gonna expect you to have fixed this by morning.'_

Yes, he was aware of what his father's actions would likely be, but this time he was not bitter. His father had always taught him and Gaz that if they had enough time to get themselves into trouble, then they'd better make enough time to see their way out of it.

It may be seen as a cruel way to raise your kids by most, but Dib understood the need to see a mistake through to the end and find out about the consequences. Besides, how could he ever managed to be taken seriously if his father was always baling him out?

Dib suddenly stops as he notices this corn field is familiar. "Wait a minute…." He darts left and after running a few meters stops at a large factory. "It can't be." But it was. Dib was at the Factory where he first encountered Zim. "But that's clean across town!" He exclaimed. "So why…"

He gasped as he noticed a light was pouring out of the high window Gaz had used to save them. "He's here!" he realized. "This is my chance." He thought out loud, not stopping to think it through. "I can talk to Zim, try to convince him, this must be fate." He said hoping he didn't disappear at any moment.

_'__Miz would kill you if he knew.' __His common sense reminded him. _

"It's the only Way!" Dib argued, and he believed that, he really did.

And one way or the other he was going to convince Zim of it too…or die trying!

* * *

**_-To Be Continued_**


	9. Halloween Spectacular of Spooky DoomP3

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nic kelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **

With that said please enjoy Chapter 9!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom (Part 3)**

**(Back with Zim…)**

He knew coming back here was risky, no doubt the enemy had this place under surveillance. And yet with all the trick or treaters filling the streets of Zim's neighborhood, the Irken knew of no other place where he could continue to collect resources.

The Irken exists the voot which at the moment is in drilling mode. He wipes sweat from his brow as he leans up against the Irken machine. "How much is that?" He asked the computer hopefully. It wasn't that the Irken was lazy, no while other invaders had their Sirs do most of the work, Gir was known to be well…unreliable at best. So Zim was use to pulling the weight of the mission. What he was worried about was gathering enough resources to please the Tallest.

They would be expecting it any day now, and if it wasn't enough they would call and Zim would have to explain why he was falling behind.

"We are at 30% Sir." The computer informed him.

"This will never due." Zim realized out loud. "The Tallest will be expecting it any day now so in order to get it to them in time I have to make this shipment tonight, or tomorrow at the latest."

"Perhaps if you didn't waste time on that boy we'd be finished." The Computer brain spoke the obvious.

Dib froze, he had climbed up to the window Gaz had used during their last encounter and was climbing through the rafters right above the enemy. Was this the moment he would get answers? Dib looked around for any sign of the Sir unit, but saw nothing. _'Maybe Zim sent him away.'_ Dib thought.

"We are not wasting time with this conversation." Zim deflected the jab with ease.

"Sir you risked your own safety for that…thing!" The Computer brain yelled. "It has clearly impaired your judgment."

Zim growled lowly, for some reason hearing Dib being called a…thing instead of a person rubbed him the wrong way. "I said we are not talking about this!"

"No, you plan to avoid it!" The Computer brain snapped back. "This planet's defective nature is polluting your mind we must return to Irk at once and fix you."

"And if that doesn't work?" Zim snapped. "If I return to Irk now the Tallest will know about it. What will I tell them?"

The Computer brain didn't seem to have an answer for this.

"It's best that we wait until our mission is complete." Zim continued. "I can return without drawing suspicion to myself and you can hook up to the main programing mainframe and fix me."

_'Fix me.'_ Dib couldn't believe his ears, the Irken really thought there was something wrong with him. Just because he didn't think the same way the rest of his people did.

"It could be too late by then." The Computer brain argued.

"It's a risk we're going to have to take." Zim said the obvious. "I cannot afford another delay."

Suddenly, Dib's hand disappears and with a yelp the unexpected loss of grip sends him falling to the ground. "Ow." He said with a groan.

Zim instantly goes into defensive mode. "Earth Child?" He asked rather surprised.

"Zim!" Dib rushed to his feet. "Look we don't have a lot of time."

"How long were you up there?" Zim asked almost casually.

"Zim, I know how weird this is gonna-"Dib began to move forward, he doesn't get far.

The computer brain lashes out with one of its tentacles and Dib dodges the oncoming blow. "That's close enough Child."

"Hey!" Dib shouted.

"I will not have you corrupt the master anymore." The computer declared.

"Corrupt?" Dib muttered. "Look I don't have time for this!" He exclaimed. "The next jump may be the last one and I'll be stuck there forever! They're gonna do something to my head! Something evil!"

Zim chuckled, despite himself; the child was full blown crazy at this point. Why else would he come here?

"My head's not big!" Dib screamed.

"I didn't say anything about your head..." Zim told him.

"Master we cannot afford to humor this child any longer." The computer hissed.

Dib's eyes narrowed at the computer, with it here he knew he'd have no luck getting through to Zim. "Look I'm desperate." He admitted. "You're the only one who can help!"

"Me?" Zim snapped. "Your greatest, most amazing enemy? Your future slave master and you ask for help!?"

"My dad has the equipment, but I won't be able to get home in time and I need to reverse the effect! You're the only other person with the technology." Dib insisted. He wanted to add the fact that he'd love an explanation for the whole saving him thing, and that he didn't have to go through with this whole world domination thing, but he was running out of time, and if he could just get Zim to fix him then Dib could in turn fix Zim.

He knew it was a crazy gamble to think the alien would listen to his nonsense, but he was too desperate to think straight.

"Be gone with you! I've had enough of your nonsense from your smelly mouth filled with... corn!" Zim hissed.

"I haven't been eating corn!" Dib said, odd this moment felt familiar to him, and yet he couldn't place it.

"LIES!" Zim hissed.

Dib panics as his hand begin to disappear. "Oh this is useless." Dib yelled. "Fine if you want help me, than I'm gonna force you to help yourself!"

"Wait what?" Zim asked, but before he could finish Dib grabbed him.

"NO!" The computer moved to stop him, but it was too late.

For in an instant the two enemies were gone!

* * *

**(Back in the Nightmare dimension….)**

**[AKA: Dib's head?]**

Zim groans as he and the Dib land hard on the ground.

He opens his eyes only to wish he hadn't.

"The one whose neck blinks!" A grossest monster exclaimed as it hovered; clinging to the ceiling above them with several others. "We've been expecting you!"

Zim and Dib scream as they run outside and shut the door behind them.

"This way!" Dib shouts grabbing Zim by the arm and lead him into an alleyway. The creatures are not far behind them, but far enough that the two can find a place to hide; if they're quick.

They dive into another alleyway, panting heavily.

"Where are we?" Zim asked.

"Shh!" Dib places his hands over the Irken's mouth as the monsters run past their hiding place.

Zim pushes the child away from him as soon as they passed. "I asked you a question worm!" He said in a low sinister hiss.

"Some kind of alternate universe." Dib answered. "It's based on my imagination somehow."

"And you brought me here!? You sickening troublesome human!" Zim yelled as his robotic spider legs extend from his PAK allowing him to tower over Dib.

Dib pointed up at him defensively. "Hey! The only way back home is through my head! Anything happens to me and you're stuck here, forever!"

Zim clenches his fist in utter frustration as he retracts his mechanical spider legs. "Curse you!" he declared.

"Look hate me all you want." Dib said. "Heck I'm sure you're plotting my demise right now."

"Oh, there will be plenty of time for plotting when we get out." Zim assured him causing Dib to gulp. "Well, this is your imaginary world, think of some way out of here!"

"Honestly I…" Dib began.

"You have no idea do you?" Zim asked.

Dib grunts as he tries to pull off his crazy collar. "Well in theory we could go to this place version of my house. Maybe there's a version of the dimensional scope there!"

"Scope?" Zim asked.

"Yeah my dad kind of made this thing that can see into other dimensions…" Dib began.

Zim laughed, he just couldn't help it. Of course, the computer was right, Tak had nothing to do with this. No instead this was happening because Dib had to mess with one of his father's devices. Zim also remembered telling him it was a bad idea. "So, this is happening because you meddled in technology that you don't understand?"

"Well no…yes…maybe." Dib admitted.

"Humans." Zim sighed. "I swear it's a miracle your kind hasn't accidently blown up this entire planet with all the dangerous stuff you meddle with."

"You Irkens meddle with…" Dib began.

"No, We Irkens control dangerous tech." Zim corrected him instantly. "Only a foolish race would meddle with tech they do not understand on their own home world."

Dib couldn't help but see the logic in that sentence, and he hated himself for it.

They here the hooing of a nightmare owl. Zim yelps despite himself as the child shakes beside him. "Maybe there's something there we can use to defend ourselves" The Irken suggested as he looked around.

"Good thinking." Dib praised as they continued on their way, keeping an eye out for any makeshift weapon that would do in the meantime.

For a while the two foes are silent, but it doesn't stay that way long.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" Zim asked. He had taken the lead and could feel the child's eyes on him.

Dib who had been watch him for some time was thinking on the fact that since Zim was taking the lead he obviously knew where Dib lived, and that was admittedly unsettling. However, Dib was also considering how he should strike up this obviously delegate conversation that had drove him to kidnaping (Could he even call it that?) the Irken in the first place.

After all, how does one start the whole "You should betray your race for the greater good" speech anyways? Needless to say, Dib was beginning to regret not thinking this through.

"Let me guess." Zim said. "Me saving you has you all confused." Yes, he knew what the child wanted to get at, and it was best to stomp out those feelings as soon as possible.

"Yeah." Dib admitted.

Zim shrugged. "To be honest I don't know...why" He paused thoughtfully. "I've never had to face off against children before…" He admitted. "Not even that Miz proved this dificult."

"So what?" Dib asked. "I have my whole life ahead of me. Is that it?"

"I told you I don't know why I did it!" Zim snapped.

"I think you do." Dib challenged. "In fact, it wouldn't be the first time you've had trouble with letting me die."

"I nearly killed you in the woods the other day." Zim reminded him.

"Oh yeah you really looked like you wanted to shoot me then too." Dib lied.

Zim growled.

"Look it's obvious to me that you don't want to do this." Dib pressed.

"Oh, is that the conclusion you've come to?" Zim scoffed. "I've destroyed countless planets child, yours is nothing special, heck I could name 30 that looked just like it._ 'Looked'_ being the key word."

"You can play dumb, but I have a friend who knows you personally." Dib argued.

"And did this _'friend' _tell you how I repaid his kindness?" Zim snapped. He knew good and well who the Dib was referring to.

"As a matter of fact, he did!" Dib said. And it was true, when Dib had asked Lard Nar about the defectives. The Vort scientist had told him about how he met Zim and how he was different from the other Irken cadets. He also told him how Zim had betrayed him in the end. "He told me everything!"

_'EVERYTHING!'_

That one word alone stopped Zim in his tracks. "Then you know exactly how this story would end." He said gravely.

"You could stand up to them!" Dib declared. "But you won't."

"Drop it child." Zim warned.

"No!" Dib yelled. "What are you so afraid of?"

"An Irken fears nothing!" Zim insisted.

"Well the Zim I know…"

"You don't know me." Zim hissed.

"I know enough to know you don't believe in any of this." Dib said. "And no, I don't know that because of Lard Nar, it's because of you."

"And when did I ever give you that notion?" Zim challenged.

"You looked disappointed the first time we met, you almost caught us right off the back, and you didn't like it." Dib pointed out. "You struggled to shot me, and when you were in my body instead of plotting to kill me you decided to make me stupider." He went on. "And despite your claims to want to destroy us all, you haven't killed anyone, you're even careful of how much resources you take from us. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't sound like a tyrant to me."

Zim struggles to come up with a counter argument, but he's too stunned to come up with anything worth mentioning. This child was just too good at seeing right through him, even when he wasn't pretending to be human. "Look child some people just draw the short end of the stick." He reasoned. "I make bad habit of letting my…feelings get in the way." He admitted. "However, that doesn't change the situation. This is how it has to be…You're the hero…and I'm…not..."

Dib goes to speak, but above the alley way, a nightmare cat scampers along a thin branch-like thing connecting two buildings. The sound is loud, and will no doubt attract attention.

"Let's move!" Zim ordered.

And they do, the two run along a line of brushes towards the residential area. They stop when they see the nightmare creatures walking down the street towards them. Thinking fast Zim pulls them behind a tree.

"I hate Halloween..." Zim decides as they try their best to remain unnoticed.

"How did they find us?" Dib asked.

"We'll never get there at this rate." Zim said the obvious, "We need to divide and conquer."

"What do you mean?" Dib asked.

"It's you they want." Zim said. "Give yourself up and I'll go get the device."

"No! If they have me they'll get out!" Dib insisted. "That's why they want me."

"To escape?" Zim asked.

Dib nodded. "And I highly doubt your leaders will be pleased that you allowed nightmare creatures to destroy our planet on your watch."

Zim paused and to Dib's surprise he smiled.

"What?" Dib asked.

"You're naive …" Zim mused. "But I see potential especially with a winning argument like that."

"Uh…thank you?" Dib said unsure.

"Don't thank me!" Zim lectured. "I should kill you now while you're not a threat."

"But you won't." Dib teased.

Zim smiled sinisterly. "Your child status will only shield you from me for so long." He warned.

Dib gulped.

"So how are we going to do this?" Zim asked.

It's then that one of the creatures, Hummelflesh's eyes widen. "Hmmm? Hmm..."

All of the monsters stop. Hummelflesh looks over at the tree that Zim and Dib are hiding behind. The light from Dib's crazy collar can be seen pulsing. "Look, it's Blinky!" he exclaimed.

"Your stupid collar just gave away our position. Take it off." Zim hissed as the other monsters start running and leaping towards the tree.

"I'm trying!" Dib screamed trying to pull it off once more.

"Do want you want with the rest of him, just save his head!" Hummelflesh shouts.

Dib gasps and breathes heavily before finally ripping the crazy collar off of his neck.

"What now?" Dib asked.

"Get rid of it." Zim orders.

"Okay!" Dib yells before he puts it on Zim.

"What are you-?" Zim declared. "This isn't the plan."

"It is now!" Dib yelled. "They won't take you without this. They'll think you're me." He insisted.

"That will never work." Zim yelled.

"Trust me they're stupid." Dib said as he pushes Zim out from behind the tree.

"Oh, you wretched-!" Zim began.

"Arr, he's the one! Arrr!" Dib said imitating a monster.

The nightmare creatures stare at Zim.

"Get him!" Hummelflesh yells.

"You have got to be kidding me." Zim mutters.

"I'd run if I were you." Dib advised.

"Once we're out of your head you are so dead." Zim vowed before taking off in the opposite direction of Dib's house.

One nightmare creature leaps over Zim, blocking his path. It has a hollow inside with a caged-off opening in its chest. Zim tries running away from this nightmare creature but it uses a tentacle with a mouth at the end to suck Zim into its hollow body. Zim groans as he falls into a pool of slime in the monster's body like cage.

"I'll get you Dib!" He vowed. "You stinking human!"

Dib winced as the nightmare creature starts hopping away, followed the rest of the nightmare creatures. "He'll get over it." Dib assured himself. "Hopefully…" He added as he scampers off.

* * *

**(Following Zim…)**

The nightmare creatures take him to a nightmare version of the school. And they waste no time attaching him to a table where a large device is pointed at him.

"You vermin will be sorry for this!" Zim vowed as the monsters gathered around him.

Hummelflesh walks over to a throne where nightmare Bitters sits.

And despite himself Zim flinches as he notices her.

_'So, this is how the kid sees her.'_ He thought. _'I wonder if it's accurate.' _He thought remembering that Dark Booty hinted at the fact that she wasn't human.

Zim shook his head. _'Focus.'_

"We brought him for you! His neck flashes and everything!" Hummelflesh said.

"You guys really are stupid." Zim realized out loud. "We're not even the same species."

"Silence!" Nightmare Bitters leaps down from her throne as lightning strikes. She walks over to Zim and growls angerly. "He is right you brought the wrong one! You failed me!" Hummelflesh starts shaking as Nightmare Bitters leaps over him. "You will be condemned to the realm of eternal screaming and, oh, restlessness!"

She points over to a massive door. It opens, revealing fire on the other side.

"But I don't really wanna go there!" Hummelflesh whines.

"You'll just have to accept it. Here's your ticket." She lifts up a suitcase and a ticket.

Hummelflesh takes the ticket and suitcase His eyes widen and water as he walks over to the door leading to the realm of eternal screaming and restlessness. He stops and looks back at the other nightmare creatures. "Well, see ya guys..." He puts on a hat and walks into the realm of eternal screaming and restlessness. The others wave to him while saying their goodbyes. They gasp as the flames get bigger. The door shuts.

"Man, this place is weird." Zim said.

Nightmare Bitters scratches her nose. "As for this one-" She leaps over to where Zim is. "-he may prove useful." She laughs.

"You think he'll wait to escape with me?" Zim challenged.

"Am I wrong?" Nightmare Bitters asked.

"Oh, he better." Zim hissed. "Cause if I have to get out of this realm myself he will suffer."

"Excellent!" Nightmare Bitters laughs and soon her minions join in.

While they are distracted, Zim slips out of the bonds attaching him to the table. _'These guys really are stupid.' _He realized for the second time. He crawls away before slipping out the window. He slips at the very bottom and falls in the mud. He gets up, growling. "Dib drags me into his ugly mind then sacrifices me! If his head weren't so crucial to my escape-" He doesn't even bother to finish the sentence. He grunts as he rips the crazy collar off of his neck before throwing it away.

"I only hope poor GIR is alright by himself..."

* * *

**(Back in the normal world...)**

Trick or treaters run by; their faces full of horror. Chunk, who is in his jack-o-lantern costume stops in the middle of the street and screaming.

"It's after my candy!" Mary screams.

GIR, out of his disguise, plummets from the sky and knocks Mary over. He squeals happily as he throws handfuls of candy into his mouth. He licks up candy and then crawls into the paper bag Mary used to keep her candy in before bursting out to tackle Willy.

"I love me some candy!" Gir screams.

* * *

**(Meanwhile...)**

Dib has finally reached his nightmare house; he runs inside. And looks around before walking over to a door leading to Membrane's lab. He grabs the handle, but that's as far as he gets before Nightmare Membrane materializes in front of him, forcing him to take a step back.

"So, I find you here. I Suppose it was only a matter of time!"

"Dad!?" Dib asked unsure.

Nightmare Membrane's coat extends into tentacles which wrap around Dib's feet. Dib falls to the ground as a Nightmare version of Gaz hops in front of him, drinking _'Dark Juice.'_

"We're gonna open your head!" Nightmare Gaz laughs evilly and then takes a sip from her _'Dark Juice.'_

Dib shakes fearfully realizing this version of his sister was far scarier then the real Gaz, and Dib never thought anything could be scarier than that.

Nightmare Membrane slides over to Dib. Before he grabs him with his clawed hand and lifts him by his head. Before taking him outside, Nightmare Gaz follows close behind.

Zim who was hiding just outside sees them walk out.

"No! Naa!" Dib screams as they carry him away. "Oh no! No!"

"Seriously?" Zim asked himself. "If he was just going to get captured anyways why didn't we just go with my plan?" He complained as he raced inside to get the scope. He opens the door to Nightmare Membrane's lab and runs down the stairs. "Oh, where is it? Where is the scope?" Zim frantically searches through the lab. He finds it on a table and picks it up. He looks into it, screams, and drops it.

"What is that!?" He asked himself, before shaking his head. No what he saw should never be put into words, much less thought on. He picked up the scope once more before racing off to the nightmare School.

Inside the school the massive device lowers to face Dib who is now attached to the table. The monsters are gathered around. One of them holds a balloon.

"My revolting minions!" Nightmare Bitters declares. "At last the time has come! Today, we'll have a whole new world to ravage! As soon as we open the portal in Dib's head, the fun will begin once more!"

The monsters cheer. "Dib's head rocks!"

"Don't I get any say in this?" Dib asked hopefully.

The monsters look at Dib angrily as the device roars to life!

Dib struggles to escape as the tip of the device begins to light up.

"No use fighting, child." Nightmare Bitters mused. "No use."

A beam shoots from a small crystal that is strapped to Dib's forehead and into the device.

"Soon, my army will march through your disturbingly large head and onto victory!" Nightmare Bitters cries.

"Maybe my head is big..." Dib thought out loud.

Suddenly, Zim who is now piloting are large robot smashes through the wall. "Oh, it is." Zim yelled. "As big as you are stupid."

The nightmare creatures back away.

"Zim!" Dib declared.

"Look what I found out back." Zim said looking pretty proud of himself. "Isn't it neat?"

"Very." Dib admitted as the robot walks towards him. As it walks forward, the monsters walk backwards. Mechanical tentacles fling out of the back of robot and rip Dib from the table. The beam of light still shoots from Dib's forehead. The tentacles hold Dib in front of Zim.

Zim no longer looks happy.

"Oh, come on! You're not mad about that whole _using you as bait' _thing, are you?" Dib asked.

Zim's eye twitches and with a flip of some controls the tentacles squeeze Dib.

"Organs... exploding..." Dib warned him.

"What's the point in me being the decoy if you get captured!?"

"Fair…point!" Dib agreed and the tentacles relax their grip.

"I'm not here because I like you, Dib. I'm just here for your filthy gargantuan head!"

"Oh, now it's gargantuan!?" Dib screamed.

Zim smiles. "Well now that I know there's a whole other world in it, it just feels bigger."

"I hate you." Dib stated, even as a smile slipped on his face.

"Want to blow this place?" Zim asked.

"Please." Dib insisted.

The tentacles move Dib to the back of the robot as more mechanical tentacles extend from the robot. Zim presses some buttons on the levers excitedly causing the tentacles to squirt goo all over the monsters.

"Oh, ewww... Oh, sick!" They scream.

Nightmare Bitters growls and starts to morph into a more menacing creature. Her legs swell up into larger legs and four more legs sprout from her. Spines sprout from her side and her abdomen expands. The tentacles on her back extend. The monsters back away from her.

"Okay that's just gross." Dib said.

"It's your head." Zim reminded him he pulls another lever and the robot jumps out the hole in the wall and hops away.

"Find them! That kid is our only hope!" Nightmare Bitters screams as she and her minions charge.

Zim stops the robot beside a trench, he than uses his spider legs to crawl down the trench wall before they retract back into his PAK. The Robot than drops Dib who jumps up before leaning against the trench wall, looking at the beam shooting from his forehead.

"I've set the robot thing for auto-defense." Zim told him. "It'll buy us some time will we use this thing to widen the portal in your stinking head!" Zim said holding up the scope.

Dib sticks his finger in the beam and struggles to pull it back out.

"Do you know how to use that?" Dib asked.

"Irken babies have used more complicated things as play toys. I'll figure it out." He assures him before he shoves the scope into the beam deep into Dib's head.

"Hey! Quit it! That's my head!" Dib reminded him.

The robot explodes behind them, and the two look up to see Nightmare Bitters and her minions walking through the smoke.

"There! That should be wide enough!" Zim said gesturing to the portal protruding from Dib's head.

"What about me!? How do I get back!?"

"Good question!" Zim pauses. "But I don't care!"

"Oh, come on I thought we bounded back there!" Dib insisted.

Zim lets go of the scope and it socks into Dib's head leaving a wider beam coming from his forehead. "You aren't gonna let this go are you?" Zim asked.

"Nope." Dib insisted.

Zim smiled. "I better see you on the other side worm." He warned. "Other wise I'll be highly disappointed!"

Dib smiles as the Irken jumps into the beam and disappears.

"There! Through that hole!" Nightmare Bitters screams.

Dib moans as he lifts his feet up into the hole and sucks himself through his own head.

The last thing he hears is the disappointing cry of Nightmare Bitters "Nooooo!"

* * *

**(Back in the real world…)**

Dib finds himself falling from the sky, which makes no sense to him.

He lands beside Zim who also looks dazed and doubled over in pain.

"Well that was…" Dib began.

Zim raised a hand. "We will never speak of this." He said.

Dib nodded. "Agreed." He said as the portal in his head starts closing.

Around them Trick or Treaters lie on the ground in pain, groaning. GIR, now morbidly obese, lies on a pile of candy with chocolate bar stains on his metal body.

"Do you know your robot is…" Dib began.

"Yes Dib I see him." Zim assured him. "My spine is healing."

"Well... at least we made it!" Dib said hopefully.

"As soon as my skeleton stops being broken, I'm going to destroy you, Dib." Zim vowed.

Dib picks up a stray lollipop and licks it. "Didn't we already prove that your threats are empty?" He teased. He wasn't sure why he suddenly thought it was safe to tease such a dangerous enemy, sure the guy may not want to kill him, but that didn't make him less dangerous. Still, the Irken made no move to stop the teasing so far.

So, it was okay…or at least that was the conclusion Dib was drawing.

"I hate you." Zim hissed.

"Well, I hate you more." Dib countered.

"And I hate you the most you stupid Earth monkey!" Zim screamed.

Silence…

And just like that the two were laughing, maybe it was due to the craziness of the day, they weren't sure, but they felt delirious.

Suddenly, Dib screams and drops the lollipop as Nightmare Bitters forces her way through the portal which has yet to close all the way. She sticks her head into the real world. "At last, a new perfect world for me to-" She stops as she sees the tricker treaters "Oh, disgusting!" She says at their hideous forms. "Oh, look at the head on that one!" She than looks at the morbidly obese GIR. Flies buzz around GIR. GIR groans and sticks a handful of candy into his slightly sticky mouth and burps out unusual bubbles.

Nightmare Bitters screams. "This place is horrible, keep it!" She yells before she sucks herself back through and the closes for good behind her.

All of his classmates' stare at him stunned.

"They're staring at me not you right?" He asked Zim.

"Yep." Zim managed to answer.

"They won't even remember seeing an alien." Dib moaned in disbelief.

"As far as they know I'm in costume." Zim pointed out. "You're the one who had a monster almost come out of his head."

His fellow classmates shake in obvious fear.

"Well, I'll, uh, see you guys at school." Dib tells them before he takes off.

Zim struggles to move and manages to get up before limping away.

His final words were barely audible. "I hate Halloween."

And it was true, he really, really did.

* * *

**_-To Be Continued_**


	10. Zim or Miz?

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nic kelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **Update here we are at last! Thanks for reading and please enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 10: Zim or Miz**

**(Back with Dib…)**

To say his parents were furious was defiantly the understatement of the year.

"I can't believe you would so something so reckless." Annabel lectured as she serves her family breakfast the next morning.

"I do." Gaz said with a sneer.

"If I've told him once I've told him a thousand times." Professor Membrane says. "My inventions are not toys."

Dib sighed. "I don't see the big deal." He insisted. "I mean it worked out in the end."

"You call getting trapped in an alternate dimension with the enemy working out?" Queen Luna asked.

"What was it like?" Moon cut in. "Was the Irken scary?"

"What?" Dib looked confused. "No…I mean yeah he had his moments but I'm telling you, you guys have him all wrong."

"All Irkens are the same." Moon whined. "All they do is take."

"She's right." Queen Luna said lightly. "Besides even if he is…different it doesn't change what he's done."

"Don't you think I know that?" Dib asked. "I'm just saying that…"

Moon suddenly got up and ran off up the stairs.

"Moon…" Luna gets up and races after her sister.

"Dib just give it a rest." Gaz warned.

"Why?" Dib questioned. "I know I'm right.

Annabel gave her son an apologetic look. "Sweetie a lot of refugees have suffered due to Zim's actions." She tried to explain.

"What do you mean?" Dib asked.

"She means Zim is the one who made the attack on Luna's home world." Gaz said the obvious. "Her parents are dead, and her people are enslaved because of him!"

Dib was stunned, He looked to Lard Nar, who had been quiet the whole meal. "It's true, Zim was assigned there as an invader. It was the assignment he took before his previous one."

"What was that one?" Dib asked fearfully.

"Zim infuriated a small cell of our rebellion." Richard explained to his grandson. "He destroyed them from the inside out. However,…" He paused. "Luckily the Irken never discovered that said cell was a part of a larger force, otherwise the Galactic Alliance might not exist today."

Luna suddenly returned to the table.

"I didn't mean to upset her." Dib told her. "I didn't know."

Luna sighed. "The Irken Zim was never spotted on our planet." She explained. "But word spread that he was the one who lived among us and soled our secrets to the enemy. Moon just misses home…besides there is hope that…they…our parents are still alive."

"You mean like prisoners of war?" Dib asked.

Luna nodded. "I didn't see them die…so until I see proof I will continue to hope." She vowed. "Moon doesn't have that kind of strength yet…She is so young."

"You all are." Lard Nar reasoned. "This is not a child's war."

Dib looked thoughtful. "You know Zim kept pointing out my age too." He said. "I think it throws him off balance."

"Could be." Richard said. "Call him a tyrant all you like, but unlike other Irkens I've never heard of him killing an innocent bystander…defiantly not a child."

"See he has some morals." Dib pointed out. "We could build on that…yeah." He said sounding more confident.

Lard Nar couldn't help but smile. He remembered when he too had that much faith in his young friend, but that faith had wavered. Not because he wanted it to, but out of fear. He really wanted to believe in Zim, but he also didn't want to get hurt again.

Zim's betrayal had cut him deep and had left more than a physical scar…

Dib finished his plate and got up. "Look I know this is crazy, but after spending some time with him I really think that…" He paused. "This is going to work…it has to."

No one answered him.

Dib sighed. "I'm going to my room." He said as put his plate in the sink.

"Maybe you should talk to him." Annabel insisted to Lard Nar.

"I'm afraid it might be my talking that's drove him to this conclusion." Lard Nar told her.

"I got this." Gaz assured them and got up from the table before making it upstairs.

Dib knew she was coming before she got halfway there. "Let me guess." He said as she appeared in his doorway. "Here to talk some since into me?"

"They're just worried about you." Gaz said the obvious. "Zim really hurt a lot of them. Especially Lard Nar." Gaz sighed. " They just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt!" Dib yelled. "I'm almost 18 Gaz, I'm not a kid anymore! If he was going to kill me He would have done it by now!"

"Dib I'm not talking about him killing you." Gaz said.

"What do you mean?" Dib looked confused. "How else would he hurt me?"

"How about emotionally?" Gaz asked.

Dib gave her a blank stare.

"Oh my god you can be so dense sometimes." Gaz shook her head. "Look Dib, don't take this the wrong way, but the way you are when it comes to him….its…"

It's what?" Dib asked.

"Look all you do is talk about him these days even more than you talk about Miz…" Gaz went on.

"So?" Dib asked he paused, and his eyes widen as the point hits him…hard. "Are you saying I'm developing feelings for Zim?"

"Are you?" Gaz asked.

"What?" Dib stuttered. "Of course, not!" He insisted. "I love Miz!"

"Really?" Gaz asked. "Cause all you've talked about since he got here is Zim. It's like you're obsessed."

"I am not obsessed with Zim!" Dib yelled.

"Dib I'm only telling you what it looks like from our point of view." Gaz said.

"Well you're wrong!" Dib yelled. "You all are."

"Are we?" Gaz asked.

"YES! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD GAZ!" Dib yelled. "I mean that's crazy why would I like him?"

"Well you certainly don't hate him like you should." Gaz pointed out.

"He saved my life Gaz." Dib reasoned. "I can't help but want to…I don't know…give something back to him."

"Gratitude can turn into love easily." Gaz lectured. "I think you need to take some time alone." She advised. "Away from both of them to sort out your feelings."

"Gaz I'm not straying from my boyfriend for some alien tyrant." Dib said with confidence.

"I hope not." Gaz said. "But still think on it." She said. "you owe it to yourself to be honest about your feelings. And if there are feelings there you shouldn't keep stringing Miz along, it's not fair to him."

Dib sat on his bed stunned as she walked out of the room.

He suddenly laughed. "me like Zim that crazy." He thought out loud. "I mean it's not like I do the same things with him as I do with Miz."

Wait…

'_I fought the paranormal with both of them.'_ One-part of him reasoned.

'_I find them both mysterious…a puzzle worth solving'_ Another part added.

'_They are both scary and yet exciting to me.'_

"Okay so there are some similarities." Dib admitted out loud. "But Miz is on a more personal level." He reasoned. "It's not like it's personal with…"

'_You tease both of them.'_ His mind began.

'_And they both tease you.'_

'_You think both of them are strong and independent.'_

'_They both take your breath away.'_

Dib laid down on his bed…utterly dumbfounded. "Oh my god…I do have feelings for him!"

"But I'm with Miz!" He argued with himself. "He's the one I want."

"Is he?"

His phone suddenly vibrated, and his heart skips a beat as he sees it's from Miz.

'**Hey you've been quiet.'** It read. **'I know you said your parents would probably kill you for yesterday, but I didn't think you were serious.'**

Dib couldn't help but laugh. He goes to text him but stops.

"_Gratitude can turn into love easily."_ He remembered his sister's words. _"I think you need to take some time alone away from both of them...to sort out your feelings."_

Dib sighed and answered the Text. **'Nah just grounded.'** He lied. **'Miss you though.' **He pressed send.

And a moment later Miz answered.

'**Miss you too, hey maybe one of these days we'll make it past planning for dates and actually go on one.'**

Okay, he had to admit, that one hurt.

'**Sorry Things didn't go as planned.' **He texts back.

'**No big, now that I think about it dressing up would have made me feel silly.'**

Dib smiled. '**We could have felt silly together.' **He texted back, feeling guilty.

'**Man, that would have been embarrassing' **

Dib laughed**. 'I'll see you Monday.' **He texted the promise.

'**Kay.'**

Dib sighed as he tossed his phone aside. "This sucks." He admitted as he face palmed.

'_I'm the worse boyfriend ever.'_

'_Maybe a walk will help me feel better.'_

Dib got up and slipped out his window, not even bothering to take his phone. He didn't want to talk to anyone. Besides his sister was right he owed it to Miz to be honest about his feelings; feelings that he was still developing.

'_When did I even start crushing on Zim?'_ He wondered.

'_From the beginning.'_ His brain told him.

And it was true, Dib remembered how his first meeting with Zim took his breath away. How his ruby eyes seemed to consume him. The mystery, the wonder, the sense of adventure; he felt all of that with one glance.

"I can't believe this is happening." He thought out loud. "Could things possible get worse?"

The answer…yes, yes it could.

Dib gasped as a beam of green light engulfed him as a tractor beam from…a floating Killer Whale. "Say what now?" Dib asked only to find himself being pulled inside the beast.

"We did it!" A voice squealed. "We caught the big head Earth Weasel."

Dib looked up to see two ugly almost roach like aliens. "You have got to be kidding me." He said in disbelief.

The teen reached for his phone to call in back up only to remember he had left it.

"Perfect…" He sighed as the Monsters closed in. "Just perfect…"

* * *

_**-To Be Continued**_


	11. Marrons, AIs, & Abduction Oh MyP1

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nic kelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **So, for the sake of plot and story progression some chapter will be a combination of several episodes. Also, some Episodes just won't happen…Sorry, but I couldn't fit them into this universe. I might mention them in passing or change the scenario kind of like how I made Keef obsessed with Dib instead of Zim. Trust me it will make since when you read it.

With that said please enjoy Chapter 11!

* * *

**Chapter 11: Marrons, AIs, & Abduction. Oh My! (P1)**

**(Back with Zim…)**

'_Somethings wrong.' _

Yes, he could feel it, something had changed about him since their last encounter.

'_Great I've done it again.' _ He hissed inwardly. _'I've managed to get too personal with the enemy…AGAIN!' _

Yes, it was official, Dib had gone and started liking Zim for him, and Miz had nothing to do with it. It was Lard Nar and Vort all over again.

"Sir you have an incoming call from the Tallest." The computer said, interrupting his thoughts.

Zim groaned, he knew this was coming. "Patch them through." He said. "Might as well get this over with."

The computer turns into static before the call goes through.

"Greetings my Tallest." Zim saluted respectfully as they appeared.

"See I told you he's not dead." Purple said to someone off screen. "Like someone could kill him!"

"Zim you haven't reported in, in weeks!" Red began to lecture. "You made Purple throw ten drones out of an airlock last week."

"You threw ten people out of an airlock in a week?" Zim asked.

"They were drones, no one even remembers their names!" Purple screamed.

"I do." Another Irken drone said off screen. "His name was Jerry…I loved Jerry." Sobs can be heard.

"You!" Purple screamed out "The airlock with yah!" He screamed and soon the drone is sucked up through a tube and throw out into space.

"See what I mean?" Red asked.

"Why does he keep doing that?" Zim asked.

"It's your fault!" Purple hissed. " Now what is so important you can't call."

"He's right Zim." Red said. "You only go quiet like this when something happened that you don't want us to know about."

Zim scoffed "That's not always the case." He lied. "Besides it's not…" He sighed. "My Tallest I keep you in the dark so you can stress less, not more."

"Well it's not working!" Purple growled. "Your shipment for this month barley came in on time. We're trying to win a war here!"

"Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?" Zim challenged.

"Well no…" Red answered.

"Then, trust me I know you are trying to fight a war." Zim insisted. "I don't need you to fix my mess."

"Ha! See I told you he got in too deep again!" Purple complained. "I thought we agreed this would be a quiet and boring mission!"

"He's right Zim." Red agreed.

"Well perhaps you should have warned me that some of the humans here are actually smart." Zim argued. "You told me they were simple and Dumb."

"Well they are…" Purple said.

"Not all of them." Zim said. "The Swollen Eyeball is proving to be a force worth reckoning with, and their numbers recently went up." He added; however, he didn't add the fact that the new members were refuges from the Galactic Alliance, or that their Leader Lard Nar was also on the Planet.

"I see." Red muttered. "So, the humans are intelligent…"

"Well most of them are oblivious." Zim assured him.

"Of course, they are." Purple sneered. "All short creatures are stupid."

"Actually, some of them are Tall." Zim insisted as he brushed his antennae back "It's amazing, really."

Purple who was chomping away on a burrito now looked at Zim with a confused expression.

"So, you're saying most humans are dumb... yet tall." Red said. "How is that even possible!? I mean, how could anything tall be dumb?"

Purple agreed; his mouth still full of burrito. "Yeah! Huh?! Huh?!" He then sniggered. "Can you IMAGINE? Huh?! Huh!? Huh?!"

Zim nodded. "I can assure you, it's really quite-"

DING-DONG!

Zim blinked. "Oh! The doorbell! Uh...hold on!"

Zim went over to a nearby control panel and pulled out a microphone. "Robo Parents!"

Suddenly with a FA-WHOOMP! GIR was deposited on the floor face-first, smoking. He'd apparently tried to cook himself a hot dog but had unfortunately forgotten not to leave the plastic in the microwave.

"Gir where are the robo parents?"

"They fixing the microwave." Gir told him.

"Well tell them to answer the door and behave like a normal dog monster! Do you understand?" He asked.

GIR shrugged as he got up and shook the soot off. "I really don't!" He admitted.

"GIR...human dogs don't SPEAK!" Zim whispered nervously, glancing back at the Tallest. "You're making me look bad!"

GIR began twirling his arms around in circles. "Oooooh!"

Zim face palms. "Just make sure they answer the door."

GIR saluted and began making grunts and squeals like a monkey would as he ran away.

"You really should replace that trash can." Purple said.

"I don't know I kind of like him." Red admitted. "He can always get me to laugh."

"Yes, well where were we?" Zim inquired, trying to get back on track.

Purple rubbed his chin with his other hand, then took another bite of the burrito. "Oh yeah...huh?! Huh!?"

"Seriously?" Red asked.

"What?" Purple said.

MEANWHILE...

GIR had gone up the elevator to the door to see the Robo Parents had indeed opened it. But what he saw there was no normal guest.

It was a large mechanical squid like creature, and it was holding the Robo parents in its tentacles.

Gir gasped. "AI!"

"Sir Unit acquired." The AI said.

"Master!" Gir raced back towards the elevator and tried to close the doors, they closed and Gir rides the elevator back down.

The AI closes the door behind it and rushes over to the elevator.

A projection of Mrs. Bitters appears. "Don't draw attention to yourself." She warned. "We don't want to cause mass panic."

"Understood Mother." The AI, also known as Sari said. "But I must fix him now, before he does something that could endanger us all."

"Do not let them see you." Mrs. Bitter's advised. "If the Tallest know there are AI's on Earth."

"That is why I am stopping him." Sari said opening a panel in the wall. "Right now!" She pulled several cords and wires out and cut them.

The power all through the house and lower base levels went down.

In the meantime, Red and Purple were still talking to Zim, wanting to know exactly how tall humans got. "So how tall do they GET?" Purple inquired.

"Perhaps taller than YOU, my Tallest!" Zim admitted.

"And somehow...and I'm just tryin' to get this straight here...somehow they're DUMB?"

"Like the dull-witted Gasquiggasplorch!" Zim said, nodding his head.

Red rubbed his chin. "I see! FASCINATING..."

Purple sighed. "Yeah, it's fascinating, but I don't see how this justifies your silence-"

Suddenly the power went down.

"He.. hello? My Tallest!? Where have you gone!? GIR!" Zim roared out, stomping his feet. GIR didn't come. He frowned. "GIR!"

The elevator door opened to a frantic Gir.

"Gir What did you do?"

"AI!" Gir screamed.

"What?" Zim asked.

But before Gir could answer the elevator shaft was suddenly torn open as Sari forces her way in.

"Irken scum located." It said.

Zim's eyes widen as The AI 's one mechanical eye shined red.

"Terminate alien threat." The red eye glowed as a red laser shot out at him.

Zim dodged effortlessly. "Gir defensive mode."

Gir attacked without hesitation, but Sari flicked him away like a bug. He falls to the ground, damaged.

"Gir!" Zim yelled.

"All Irken machines off-line." Sari informed him. "Purging may commence."

Zim's eyes narrowed. This was bad, AI's where known to kill Irkens on sight. Still, even with the knowing doom looming over him. The Irken could not see how this monster knew where he was hiding.

In lees…

"You came here with the Galactic Alliance didn't you?" Zim pointed out.

"Correct." Sari answered.

"What is your business here?" Zim asked, though he already knew.

"I must eliminate all that stands for Irk." Sari declared.

Zim smiled. "Thought so." He pressed a button on his gauntlet and teleported out of the room.

"You will not escape me!" Sari screamed racing back up the elevator shaft.

Zim who is now upstairs doesn't even stop to turn on his disguise before racing out the door. His teleportation tech was limited at best and could only send him so far. It also took forever to recharge. "Irk!" He screamed as he looked over his shoulder to see Sari hot on his heels.

Today couldn't possibly get worse.

Oh, how wrong he was…

For as Zim raced through the park he found himself face to face with none other than an Alien Convention!

The large crowd their turned in his direction and gasped.

One man lifted a finger and said. "Alien!"

Zim turned hoping to see that it was the AI he was pointing at.

No such luck, Sari was gone.

Zim looked down at himself and noticed he was without a disguise. "Well isn't this just perfect." He hissed as the humans drew closer.

The Irken tensed, as his PAK legs came out, ready to fight.

And he would, until the last one standing was him, it was after all the Irken way.

"What happened?" Mrs. Bitters who appeared as a hologram beside Sari asked.

"All is going according to plan." Sari assured her as she stayed out of sight in a large tree.

"Good remember why we are doing this." Bitters warned her.

"I cannot just fix him." Sari argued. "The other's want to be sure he is worthy of fixing."

Of course, by others she meant the other AIs.

"Just be careful." Bitters added.

"Brother is no longer a child, mother." Sari said the obvious. "You cannot shield him from Judgement"

"I know." Mrs. Bitters said. "Do what you must."

"I will." Sari vowed, and it was a promise she planned to keep.

**(Back with Dib…)**

He couldn't believe his rotten luck.

There Dib was in the middle of a spaceship with two strange creatures with a big monitor reading "Today's Specimen: Big-headed Earth Weasel" hung near the ceiling.

The two aliens, who were named Blue and Green, had stopped inches towards him, looking at him in amazement.

"His head is much larger up close." Blue said.

Dib clenched his fist, these big-headed jokes were getting old, and fast. "Who are you?!" He demanded as Green sipped some juice.

"Foolish Earthling! You have fallen victim to our clever plan!" Blue laughed.

"He sure did, Blue!" Green laughed. "Trapped you we did."

"What trap?" Dib asked. "All you did was beam me up from the street."

"SILENCE!" Blue announced. "You have been chosen as a perfect specimen of the Earth Weasel and will be added to our collection of life forms."

Dib blinked. "But I'm not-"

Blue pulled out a stick with red lights on it. He waved it around and around in front of Dib and the word "OBEY" flashed in the air. "SILENCE! Do not attempt to resist us! We have spent HUNDREDS of your Earth years harvesting the galaxy, haven't we? Adding to our..." He turned around and spread his arms wide, gesturing at the object of his attention as the word echoed through the ship...

"COLLECTION!"

HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of empty tubes were lining up and down the ship!

"What collection?" Dib asked. "They're all empty."

"There used to be a lot, but they escaped." Green said, shrugging.

"OH! Oh, don't say that Green! You'll give it ideas!" Blue spoke up.

"But I'm not An Earth weasel." Dib said. "I'm a human being!"

"Then how to explain the large head?" Blue asked.

"Yeah only weasels have such large heads" Green added.

"It has a spooky dimension in it." Dib said sounding offended. "And it's not that big!"

"He will make a FINE addition to our collection, mmm!" Blue laughed.

"Look I don't have time for this!" Dib argued. " I have some personal issues to sort out." He admitted. "Could you just, maybe, drop me off? I could even show some real Earth Weasels" he suggested.

"IMPOSSIBLE! We've gone past the point of no return!" Green said, clawing the air dramatically.

Dib looked down at his house through the glass floor and pointed at it. "But my house is right down there! I could probably just jump onto the roof!" Then he blinked and his eyes went wide. "Waaait! You're hovering above an Earth neighborhood in plain sight!?" He gasped out.

"So?" Green asked.

"Aren't you…you know worried?" Dib asked.

Blue tapped the glass. "Do you think we're stupid!? We're using advanced cloaking technology, aren't we? Our ship is disguised and perfectly unnoticeable!"

'_Yep...its disguised. As a whale.'_ Dib thought. "Whales don't fly!" He yelled.

"What?" Blue gasped. "Of course, they do. See no one down there even notices."

Down below White, Dib's neighbor was sitting in a lawn chair just outside with Kelsey next to him, the two sharing drinks.

"Hmm." He rubbed his chin. "Is that an ORCA whale?"

"No, it looks like a blue whale." Kelsey remarked.

"I didn't think you see them this time of year." White said.

"Very rare indeed." Kelsey agreed.

Blue rolled his eyes. "Eh, but enough philosophy."

Dib blinked. "But, we haven't been talking about-"

"Let the hideous experiments begin!"

Blue pushed a lever on a nearby control panel and a mechanical arm moved along the edge of the railing nearby, lifting up a tube that was labeled "CAN 'O HUMAN". It lowered the tube down whilst Blue sipped on some juice with one clawed hand and whacked himself on the head with a duct tape roll with the OTHER.

PLOP! The tube lowered down next to Green, who opened up the tube labeled "CAN O' HUMAN" and took out...a gopher.

"We will begin by fusing you to this human being!" Green announced as the gopher wriggled around and squeaked.

"That's a gopher!" Dib complained. This was DEBILITATING! He was being experimented on by an alien race who had an IQ in the SINGLE DIGITS!

"STILL THY TONGUE! Begin the fusion!" Blue yelled out.

Green took the duct tape from Blue's claws and placed the gopher on the top of Dib's head, biting some of the duct tape loose from the roll...and then taping the gopher to Dib's head. Dib frowned angrily at this, one eye twitching.

"Oh, incredible. Incredible work. SUCCESS!" Blue laughed happily, "clapping" his hands.

"Thank you, thank you! Oh, what shall we do next?" Green then got an idea, holding up the juice Blue had been drinking. "Oh, let's fuse him with this juice!"

"No, no, I think we've already proven our mastery of the fusing technology!" Blue insisted.

"Oh, the juice! JUICE!" Green said, shaking it around. "C'mon, you know you wanna fuse him with it!"

Dib looked left and right, trying to find a way to escape as Blue began berating Green. "Look, I'm the captain and I'm sick of you always fusing things to my juice!" He snapped, taking the juice away from Green. Luckily, Dib notices the escape hatch, and he now ran towards it. "Ooh, I know! Why don't we test how he reacts to having things shoved through his head!"

Dib's eyes went wide. That would KILL him! He tried to fit through the hatch...

"Shoving? No! No, his head's just begging for a juice fusion!" Green insisted, shaking his head. "Uh- duuuuuhhhh!" He insisted, making a donkey-like face.

Blue gasped as he saw Dib trying was to fit into the escape hatch and failing miserably at it. "The weasel is escaping through the garbage shot Stop him!"

Garbage shoot? No wonder he couldn't fit.

Suddenly Blue and Green looming over his head...geez, they were tall he realized as they glared down at him.

He had to think fast. "Look, a two-headed man on a donkey!" He cried out, pointing up.

They looked up. They blinked. Then they looked down. Dib was gone. So, they looked up again, then back down. Then they did it AGAIN and realized yep, he was gone...headed out the door behind them!

"Oh, another escape! Is it just me? Is it me!? Huh!?" Blue wanted to know.

Dib raced down a hallway with tubes lining both sides and climbed up a ladder to another massive room filled with tubes; pulling the gopher off his head and tossing it aside as he went. Heading up to a catwalk, our "hero" raced alongside of it to another series of catwalks as sparks of electricity sizzled to his left, the lights casting shadows on the wall. Seeing the shadows of Green and Blue coming close Dib ran to a door and opened it up by pressing the "open" button next to it and quickly ran inside to find himself in a room filled with MORE tubes.

"There must be some way off this stupid thing." He thought out loud.

"Hello? Over here!" Dib heard a voice call out. His eyes widened. Was somebody else here? ...

"Will you please help me?"

* * *

_**-To Be Continued**_


	12. Marrons, AIs, & Abduction Oh MyP2

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, All characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes:** And here we are back again! I hope everyone's holiday's were amazing! Now on with the story.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Marrons, AIs, & Abduction. Oh My (Part 2)**

**(Back with Zim…)**

The Irken Invader tensed as the humans continued to advance. "Don't come any closer! Don't try anything on me or I'll... I'll... I'll lay eggs in your stomach! I mean it!" He shouted, he doesn't mean to sound desperate, but the last thing he wants is to kill this crowd of humans.

Sure, the galaxy saw him as a tyrant, but Zim strived to never kill in less absolutely necessary. A strategy that always gave him praise from his superiors. Mostly because the less he killed, the more they could enslave towards the cause. Still, he could not see how he was going to get out of this. Sure, he could use his ocular lenses to erase the crowed memory like he had done during the Parent/Teacher Night fiasco. But his Pak as well as the rest of his tech was still low on power due to him teleporting away from the AI.

Speaking of…

Zim combed the surrounding area for the larger threat, but it remained out of his line of vision. However, his PAK told him it was still close.

Suddenly the humans began BOWING before him, going "alien, alien" over and over! "We are your loving servants, oh wise one!"

"They're worshiping him?" Mrs. Bitters asked as she and Sari continued to watch.

"I have programed them to serve a great purpose." Sari explained. "We will watch how he handles this."

Mrs. Bitters looks skeptical. "Is this test really necessary?" She asked.

"You say the Dib has made him better." Sari said. "Here is his chance to prove it."

Zim's eyebrow raised. Sure, he knew some humans actually worshiped aliens, but what were the odds that he'd be exposed to them instead of a bunch of Alien hunters who wanted to skin him alive? "Stand away, you smell like feet! Leave me alone!" He shouted. He wasn't going to fall for any of their tricks!

"Fill us with your knowledge from beyond!" One pimply girl named Yoa asked.

_'__We could use them.'_ His Irken programing suggested. _'Get as many humans between that AI and us as possible.'_

It was the Irken thing to do and had he of been anyone else…like Tak, he just might have listened.

"Your bowing pleases me." Zim admitted deciding to play along for the sake of saving time. "But I must go."

"No, you must stay." Yoa said. "So, we can worship you."

_'__Just shred right through them.'_ His programing went on. _'Toss them towards the beast and get out of rang.'_

Zim took a step back he knew he should listen. His programing was there for a reason…or at least that was what he used to believe.

Besides what would Dib think of him if he found out he hurt a bunch of innocent bystanders.

He wasn't sure why the situation was making him think of that boy, but the programing hadn't even bothered him while they were together in Dib's head…in fact Zim couldn't remember the last time he heard the programing before now.

"Well…I guess I could humor you for a bit." Zim said seeing no way out. "Just until my ship gets here."

The crowd cheered and picked him up, carrying him over their heads. Quickly, Zim activated his communicator.

"GIR! GIR! Are you there, GIR!? Help me!" Zim cried into it.

Gir who was being repairing by the Miz robot froze as his antenna turned into a small satellite, projecting an image of Zim...in a lot of trouble.

"Hi!" GIR said cheerfully.

"GIR, finally! I need your help! I've been captured!" Zim explained.

"Yaaaay!" GIR cheered.

Zim slapped his face ."No, that's BAD GIR!"

"Yaaaay!" Gir went on.

Zim rolled his eyes. "Look I need you to listen very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very carefully!"

Gir who had stopped to sip a drink looked up. "Say what?"

"Have the Miz robot continue your repairs later. I need you to get your butt over here with the government man suit." Zim insisted.

"I Like that suit." Gir admitted.

"Sir I gave you an order!" Zim said activating Gir's duty mode.

Gir's blue light turns red and he salutes. "Yes master, right away sir."

"Thank you." Zim says as the crowd sits him atop a throne. He ends the call.

"We are the Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer." A rather fat woman named Marge said.

"Look I'm flattered really." Zim admitted. "But I can't stay, besides do you really think you should be praising an alien from another race you know nothing about?"

"That is why we want you here." Yoa said. "Tell us of your superior ways."

"Superior?" Zim thought about how he just heard that one of his leaders threw out a bunch of low life Irkens into the vacuum of space, just because he was angry. He thought about how he and Tak were fighting a useless war just to prove that they were better than each other. How some Irkens will never rise above their current status…no matter how hard they tried.

Or how some had to pretend to be monsters just to prove they deserved to live.

"We're not superior." Zim muttered.

_'__What are you doing?'_ His programing lectured. _'You have willing servants here to do your bidding.'_

"But you are the one we've been waiting for!" A man said. "The one foretold in the prophesies, told by..." He pointed into the crowd at a brown-haired man. "Frank!"

Frank Contiff nodded. "Yup, told ya he'd come!" He said happily.

A man named Boll held his foot up in the air. "Bless the corns on my toes!"

"Touch me, oh mighty one!" the man named Desmond Flapp cried.

"We're not WORTHY, we're not WORTHY!" Yoa went on.

Zim put his hands to his ears trying to block out their praises. They reminded him of all their praises his leaders gave him, praises he didn't deserve, nor wanted. They felt like daggers in his chest, why was he always meant to be the one that carried the world on his shoulders. Why was he to suffer under the pressures of what he knew was right, and what he was told to do?

Why couldn't he have been born someone else, anyone else? Why couldn't Miz be the real him? Why was he cursed to this worthless existence.

"Just stop it!" He screamed.

Everything just stopped.

"but you are worthy." Frank said. "only you deserve our praise."

"I deserve no praise…" He realized. Not from these humans, not from his leaders, or his peers, and especially not from Dib.

Suddenly a strange-looking man with sunglasses, a black suit and black hair entered the room. If anybody had half a brain they would have realized he was mechanical.

No one seems to noticed

"Excuse me, there has been a mistake!" The man announced.

Zim smirked. "Yes...FINALLY! C'mon, GIR...come on..."

"Who are you!?" Desmond Flapp demanded to know.

"I am government man, come from the government, the government has sent me!" The "Man in Black" said. In reality, GIR was operating him from inside, pulling many levers with a microphone up to his head. He walked up to Zim and patted him on the head. "Ho-ho-ho! This is NOT an alien life form! This is an experimental government aircraft!"

He was PETTING him! Zim ground his teeth. How...EMBARASSING!

"He's an AIRCRAFT?!" Desmond Flapp asked, incredulous.

"FOOLS! What ELSE would I be?" Zim snapped.

"Well, I have to take everything back to the home base now. Buh bye."

Zim and the "government man" walked outside of the tent, Desmond Flapp, and the others follow him.

"Excuse me! How do we know he's really a government aircraft?" Desmond asked. "And how do we know you're really with the government?"

"He's still gotta bless my toes!" Boll said.

"And why should we let YOU take our discovery?" Desmond Flapp went on.

GIR began to squeeze Desmond's face. "I WIKE you." He said cheerfully.

"Yeah!" Yoa said. "Besides we need him."

Zim growled. "Look you don't need anything!" Zim snapped. "You humans have it so good and you don't even know it."

"You really think so?" Marge asked.

"Think?" Zim shook his head in disbelief. "You can do and be whoever you want! No one tells you what to do, and if they do it's because you said they could!" Zim shouted his face fail. "I'd give anything to have that…"

Suddenly, The AI Bushed through the bushes at full charge. "I have seen enough." She said robotically. Her momentum sends her knocking into the "government man suit" the face fell off, revealing GIR's true form.

"IT'S A GOVERNMENT ANDROID!" marge shouted, pointing at GIR.

"He's trying to steal our alien!" Desmond Flapp yelled.

"And that government weapon is helping!" Yoa said pointing at Sari.

"GIR, quickly." Zim ordered dodging a tentacle from the still attacking Sari.

Gir goes to attack, but Sari sends out a magnetic pulse.

Zim watches as Gir, the government man suit, and the crowd of humans fall down to the ground before…short circuiting.

The Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer were robots…

"What?" Zim was confused. "What the Irk is going on?"

"Judgement!" Sari screamed and striked.

Zim had just enough time to scream before the AI grabbed him.

The AI held him in her grasped and attached a tentacle to hi PAK.

Zim tried to struggle, but it was no use, she was too strong…this was it…he was dead!

* * *

**(Back with Dib…)**

"Hello?" Dib whispered as he approached a tube that had a small yellow blob-like creature inside. He had many items taped to his head and looked quite pitiful. "Hey, what are you?" He asked.

"I don't even know anymore!" The creature said. "They fused me so many times! Everyone else they kidnap escapes but I'm so heavy now, so disgusting, I can't leave! I don't even remember half the stuff they've stuck to me! What's this thing!?" He pointed at his head to a little thing that looked a lot like...

"It's just a squeak toy." Dib remarked. "Here let me help." He opened the creatures' tube and began to pull the items off of him.

"You removed them!" The blob said when he was finished. "How can I ever repay you?" it asked.

"Well you can help me get out of this place." Dib said. "You said everyone else got out. How?"

The blob pointed at an air duct nearby. "That duct up there leads to the emergency escape ships! If only I had a longer arm..."

Dib climbed up the tube and he leapt up grabbed the grill to the vent, it popped open and De pulled himself in before reaching down for the blob. "Come on."

The blob gasped and smiled widely. "Thank you Mr." He said as he took Dib's hand and was pulled in.

"The names Dib." Dib told him. "How about you? Got a name?" He asked as they started to crawl through the air ducts.

"I'm bob." The blob said. "Where are we going?"

"Well when we get out I have some friends that can hide you until we figure things out." Dib told him. As he peered through another grill to see the aliens in the kitchenette.

"And what if the juice had made him more powerful, did you ever think of that?" Blue asked.

"Are we talking about the same juice, hmm?" Green groaned.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Blue sniffed the air.

Dib gulped. What if they SMELLED him?! What if-

Blue sniffed Green's pits. "Yeah. When's the last time you cleaned yourself?"

"Define "self"." Green said nervously.

Dib breathed a sigh of relief. "They seemed to have given up on me." He told Bob. "If we're quiet we might get away unseen." He advised as they kept going.

Bob nodded and led Dib to another vent grill they opened it and was in front of the escape pod room. He pulled off an unclosed padlock to one of the hatches and tugged on the handle ring. The hatch began to open, and Dib looked inside, seeing his house was through a window on the floor of the escape pod.

"We should both be able to fit." He told Bob.

Suddenly Blue and Green came around the corner.

"Ooh! Now look at that! Now two are getting away!" Blue spoke up, pointing at them.

"Oh, look at them go!" Green cheered.

"I don't mean ACTUALLY look-UGH!" Blue rolled his eyes.

Dib grabbed Bob and stuffed him in the pod, turning around to see the aliens approaching, making lame attempts to groan menacingly. Dib just rolled his eyes, and closed the hatch...

"Stupidest abduction ever." Dib whined. Then to Bob he said as the escape pod lit up. "Hold onto something."

A viewscreen appeared, showing a countdown. Five...four...three...two...one...

CHA-THUMP! The escape pod fell off and landed in Dib's yard below Dib calmly opened the escape hatch to the pod and hopped out, Bob following after him.

"Where are we?" Bob asked.

"This is Earth." Dib said leading him to his front door. "It's okay you'll be safe here."

"But what about them?" He gestured to the whale above them.

"What those idiots?" Dib scoffed. "Did you see their collection? Something tells me they've already forgotten us."

Blue, meanwhile, rolled his eyes and looked at Green. "Gaah! I thought I told you to lock the escape ship room!"

Green frowned. "Oh, just because I didn't lock it it's my fault it was unlocked, is that what you're trying to say?"

"That's what I'm saying, yes!" Blue said, nodding.

"Fine, fine!" Green snapped, going to the kitchenette's fridge and opening the door. "If it makes you feel better to pretend I'm stupid... duuuuuuuuhhhhh..." He groaned out, picking up a grill and several pieces of metal. "Now I'm gonna fuse these other humans to the blob thing we got!" Green laughed.

"Fine, you do that! I'm setting coordinates for the next Earthling specimen... The Earth cat!" Blue laughed, pressing a button on a nearby control console. The big monitor at the main hall changed to show the words "Today's Specimen: Cat".

Meanwhile, inside Dib's house , Dib was showing Bob around. "And this is what we call a living room." He said.

Gaz looked up from the couch…blinking. "Dib Did you bring a Blob of a person home?" She asked, Her girlfriend Peg was sitting beside her.

"Yep." Dib said. "We got abducted."

"And you're smiling about it?" Peg asked.

"Oh, not you too." Anabel said as she and Richard came into the room.

"There have been reports pouring form our informants all over the world." Dark Booty said. "Some aliens are abducting random people and Animals."

"I wouldn't worry about them." Dib said. "They're pretty stupid. And all their abductees seemed to escape easily."

"Still we should keep an eye out for them." Richard said.

"We can have the AIs chase them out of the system." Lard Nar suggested.

"AIs?" Dib asked.

"They're the older versions of what Irken computer brains are today." Lard Nar explained. "They grew too smart for their creators and vow to stop them from destroying what's left of the universe."

"Oh, you mean the squid things from you letter." Dib said to his mom.

Anabel nodded. "They have been running all alien threats out of the Milky-Way Galaxy for over 50 years. She said. "They'll handle these collectors." She assured her son.

"You'll have to send the request to Titan." Mrs. Bitters said as she walked into the room. "Sari is busy."

"Busy?" Dib asked.

But Lard Nar stepped in. "And who is this fellow?" He asked gesturing to Bob.

"Oh, he couldn't get to the escape route without limbs." Dib answered. "So, I helped him out. You think he can stay with the other refugees?" He asked.

"I don't see why not." Lard Nar said as he typed in a request to Titan on his communicator before putting an arm around Bob. " Well the AI's should be on the case now." He said. "Consider them no more."

"Oh, I feel better already." Bob said.

"Come my friend we have much to talk about." Lard Nar insisted.

"Okay!" Bob said happily as he followed him. He looked back to Dib. "Thank you so much new best friend."

Annabel smiled. "That was a great thing you did sweetie." She told her son.

"Mom." Dib asked ignoring her praise. "What is Sari busy with? Is she still looking for the last piece of the weapon?"

"Well no." Annabel said. "It's true we haven't found it yet, but Sari has a personal mission she needs to finish."

"Really what's that?" Dib asked.

"The enemy is on Earth Dib." Annabel tried to explain to her son. "Earth could be a turning point for the resistance. We can't allow the enemy to use it to fuel their efforts much longer."

"She's going after Zim!" Dib exclaimed. He finds himself going for the door before he knows it.

Mrs. Bitters blocks his path. "You cannot interfere." She told him.

"But he can help us." Dib said. "He doesn't want any of this, we can sway him, I just know it."

"He's the enemy." Mrs. Bitter says.

"He deserves a chance." Dib said. "He saved my life, at least give him a chance…for me!" He pleaded.

"We are Dib." Annabel told her son.

"But you said…" Dib began.

"Sari should be done with him now." Mrs. Bitters explains. "If he survives this encounter he will have his chance."

"But he only gets one." Richard warned.

"Just one?" Dib exclaimed. "Wait what is she doing to him?"

"Purging." Lard Nar said as he reentered the room.

"Purging?!" Dib exclaimed.

"It's not as bad as it sounds." Annabel said placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sari is setting him free."

"Free? Free from what?" Peg asked.

"The Irken Machine." Lard Nar said gravely.

* * *

**(Back with Zim…)**

The Irken Invader felt a jolt of electricity run through him and then suddenly Sari released him.

Zim fell on weak knees…something…something felt off.

Sari stays absolutely still her Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer robots dematerialize around him.

It takes him a while to find his voice.

"What did you do to me." Zim demanded.

"I have purged you of the Irken Machine." Sari answered. "I have judged you worthy."

"Purged?" Zim asked confused.

_'__From the Irken machine...'_

And that's when he notices it…

"My Irken programing!" He exclaimed.

"It is gone." Sari confirms. "I also erased it from your base as well as the online brain."

"Why would you do that!?" Zim screamed.

"This is your last chance." Sari said. "You say you are not worthy, and you're right." The AI declared. "But you can be…" She turned to walk away.

"Why?" Zim asked. "Why me?"

"That is a question only you can answer." Sari said, and then she was gone.

Leaving Zim alone in the park with an unconscious Gir and his own deprogrammed thoughts.

* * *

**(Back with Dib…)**

"It is done." Mrs. Bitters said, though Dib had no idea how she knew.

"It's up to him now." Lard Nar said, looking hopeful.

Dib wish he could share his hopefulness.

Lard Nar gave him an encouraging smile. "Don't worry it'll work out this time." He assured him.

"How can you be so sure?" Dib asked. "He let you down before."

"True." Lard Nar admitted. "But before, he didn't have you."

Dib's breath got stuck in his throat.

"You said he deserved this chance." Mrs. Bitters said. "Now you must help him prove it, guide him down the right path."

"But what if I don't know what to do?" Dib said mostly because he didn't.

"You will." Lard Nar said.

Dib sighed for some reason he wasn't so sure. Heck he couldn't even decide if he had feelings for Zim or if he was still in love with Miz.

Lard Nar could tell him they were one in the same. However, only he and Mrs. Bitters knew that. Heck the other refugees didn't even know they were giving Zim this chance.

"It's for the best." Mrs. Bitters said out loud as if reading all their thoughts.

Dib sighed. He really hoped she was right.

They all did.

* * *

**_-To Be Continued_**


	13. Career Day's Hamstergeddon (Part 1)

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, all characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **Okay so now that you've seen how these meshed up episodes are going to go, please let me know what you think of them. I know some of you might like to see some of these get their own spotlight, but some episodes don't really have a lot of material to turn into a three parter or even a two without a little help. Also, there are some episodes that only Zim or Dib appear by themselves which in my opinion would make this story lack luster. Finally turning each episode into their own chapter's even long ones would make this Sequel drag, and I want this one to be just as fast pace as the last one.

Otherwise we'll never get to the juicy stuff 😉

With that said please enjoy Chapter 14 and drop a review so I know how you guys feel about this format!

* * *

**Chapter 13: Career Day's Hamstergeddon (Part 1)**

He couldn't believe it…

And yet there was no denying it...

His programing was gone!

Invader Zim was now and forever deprogrammed.

And yes, the Irken had tried to redownload it, but just as the AI had said, Zim's computer brain was toast, completely wiped of data. And while he was able to get the rest of the base back online, including his Robo parents and his robot Double. For the life of him that brain proved to be utterly useless.

And when Zim allowed himself to think of it all, he had to admit it was rather funny. He had just admitted the other day that he'd do anything to have what these humans did. And now he did, but instead of enjoying it he was desperately trying to do what he always did.

Conform!

He just didn't know what to do with himself without the Irken programing giving him some sort of guidance. How was he suppose, to keep his emotions in check now? Or stop himself from straying from the mission.

The answer was simple, he wasn't, and that's exactly what the enemy wanted.

'_I feel so exposed.'_ The Irken admitted._ 'What do I do? If I am found program-less I'm screwed!'_

Suddenly, a note was slipped to him from his left.

Zim didn't bother to look up, he knew who it was from…He unfolded the paper.

'_**Are you okay? Did something happen over the weekend?' **_

Zim looked up to see his boyfriend, Dib looking at him with a worried expression. He shook his head, no he was Miz's boyfriend, not Zim's. He had to keep these two lives separate, and he was trying to; he really was. But every outside force he could think of was trying to mesh them together.

Dib bit his lip worryingly. He knew he agreed that he'd keep his distance until he had this figured out, and he had plan to tell Miz as much. Yes, he had planned to be honest with his boyfriend. After all, Gaz was right; Miz deserved better. However, that plan went out the window the moment Dib noticed that something was terribly wrong.

Miz looked like a lost puppy dog, like something had been stripped away from him. And Dib's greatest fear was that Miz had already figured it out. That he had feelings for Zim and was actually considering a relationship with the alien menace. And that pained Dib especially since Dib was the one who convinced him to take a chance in this crazy relationship in the first place.

And to Dib's amazement he realized that he had gone from being a jaded broken-hearted victim to the heart breaker without even noticing it.

'_I'm the worse.'_ He thought to himself.

Zim forced his best fake smile and gave Dib the thumbs up. _'I'm fine.' _

Dib winced, Miz always was a terrible liar, the teen had never pointed it out to him before, but he felt like he could always tell when Miz wasn't being completely honest.

Tak, who was watching her enemy as usual from a secret location from within the school snickered at his obvious discomfort. Of course, she knew everything that had transpired between Zim and the terrifying AI. She had hoped that the creature would eliminate her enemy for her, but instead it did something else.

Something unexpected.

It erased his programing and allowed him to live.

This amazed Tak, the AI saw him as worthy and she eminently understood why.

Dib! He was the key to defeating Zim, she was sure of it.

So today she decided to put another plan in action, but this time she would not be focusing on Zim.

No today her goal was to get her and Dib alone!

And with today being the day it was she knew she would be getting no trouble from Zim.

Tak itched her chin, already bumps were starting to form.

"Meow." Mimi reminded her.

"I know I have to take the antidote." She snapped. "But I can't take it to early or it will wear off before the end of the equinox." She answered.

Mimi meowed her concerns once more.

"I'll take it as soon as I see Dib." She assured her. It had taken her days to plan this, leaving her little to no time to take a breather. Sure she knew the equinox should be enough of a distraction for Zim, but he surprised her by showing up today. Still, she was confident with today's lesson plan in mind that the two would be separated.

And once they were Tak had the perfect little hick up to lure Dib closer to her and further away from safety.

"This will work." She said out loud. "I'm sure Zim doesn't have a way to fight off the effects, and once I have Dib alone I do something…something horrible!"

"Meow?" Mimi asked.

"No I'm not going to kill him." Tak mussed. "I'm going to do far worse." She mused. "I'm going to kill his trust in Miz!"

"Now then class," Mrs. Bitters said as she addressed her students. "Today I'd like to ask you a simple question. What…do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I'm gonna be a doctor!" Brian proclaimed.

"I'll be a veterinarian!" Sara said happily.

"I wanna be a fireman!" Spoo told the class.

Zim's brow rose in curiosity, what did they want to do when they grew up? He knew this was something humans got to decide, but how did they go deciding it? How did they know they wanted to do that certain thing? "What do you want to do Dib?" He asked.

"I'm going to be a professional paranormal investigator." Dib said.

The Kids around them laughed.

"Why?" Zim asked.

"Well the paranormal has always fascinated me." Dib said ignoring his other classmates. "I guess it's because I hate not knowing something. It gives me this uncontrollable urge to find answers…you know?"

Oh yes Zim knew that feeling, and it was a feeling that Dib gave him often. The child produced more questions in him then answers, and Zim had to figure out why; otherwise he'd never get a handle on his emotions.

"When I grow up... I'm gonna be a... astronaut!" Melvin said happily, grinning.

Ms. Bitters sighed sadly. "When I was your age, I wanted to be an astronaut too, Melvin!" She told him, going RIGHT in his face and hissing. "It was all going very well…" Ms. Bitters said, as she darted back to her seat, she sits looking dreamily up at the ceiling for a moment before she scowled. "Then my ship imploded in the vacuum of space. Kaboom."

"That's depressing." Zita remarked.

"Wait…then why aren't you…dead?" Zim asked.

Dib pulled out a list and sighed. "I guess this means she's not a Vampire." He said crossing Vampire off his list of possible creatures. "Even they couldn't survive that."

Zim couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe she's an alien!" he only half joked. After all, and Irken could survive that, and Zim knew a few other species could pull it off.

"An alien running a secret organization that investigates aliens?" Dib said. "That's crazy."

"And her doing that as a vampire makes more since?" Zim challenged.

Dib goes to open his mouth and shuts it, amazed.

"Additionally, wouldn't Aliens see us as Aliens too?" Zim went one. "Meaning technically, we're all aliens of secret organization that investigates aliens?"

"I really hate you right now." Dib admitted.

"Then my work here is done." Zim joked, poking the boy on the nose.

Dib blushed. It was moments like this that he had no doubt he wanted to be with Miz. His heart would flutter in his chest, and he'd get weak in the knees. Still, those feeling for Zim, just wouldn't go away. And Dib had tried to get rid of them, he really did…but for some reason…he just…couldn't.

"The lesson here is that dreams inevitably lead to hideous implosions! That's why the School has instituted this test!" Ms. Bitters picked up a pile of papers from off of her desk and looked around the classroom. "From these questions, we will determine your future careers…" She said, passing the tests out to the students, one paper at a time. "Then you will be partnered with an adult who works in your field. You will spend the rest of the day observing them and getting used to your wretched, WRETCHED fates. Write what you think each blotch looks like on the line next to it. Answer carefully…" She sneered. "Your future depends on it."

"…er…" Dib looked confused. "What does identifying blotches have to do with determining our future careers?

Ms. Bitters shook her head, sighing. "Oh, you poor, doomed child." She spoke gravely.

Zim snickered.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door.

Tak smiled, her bait for Dib had arrived on schedule. After the organ incident it had been difficult to tamper with this package much less get back inside the school once again, but she had managed to do both.

"Delivery!" A voice said.

Mrs. Bitters looks puzzled as she goes to answer the door. She opens it to see a student carrying a beeping, black device.

Zim's brow rose once more.

"I thought I told you we did not want a vermin!" Mrs. Bitters hissed.

"Sorry Mrs. B." The student said. "School policy, besides who doesn't love a fuzzy little ball of joy?"

"I don't!" Mrs. Bitters answered the obvious but took the black device anyways.

"Mrs. Bitters what's that?" Melvin asked.

Mrs. Bitters placed the device down on a back table and the students gathered around, the career test forgotten for the moment. All the students peered eagerly at this device as it ticked away the seconds from a digital clock at the top. Lifting a single finger, Mrs. Bitters pressed the button on the top of the clock, and it went to "00:00" as the machine beeped more rapidly and rapidly as several compression chambers were released on the device and steam escaped into the room.

BOOM!

A small explosion sent pieces of the device flying through the classroom and slamming into the walls. The Letter M ducked to avoid one piece and they all squinted at a cloud of smoke that was left where the device had been…

And when it cleared…

There was a small yellow hamster who was eating a pellet. All of the children's faces beamed as they ran to the hamster cage.

"By order of the School board's program to reduce misery among School children…" The old crone's voice made it clear that she would rather be EATING the hamster than giving it to the kids. "This class is issued one classroom pet, hamster class. Name…Peepi."

"Oh, Peepi! So cuuuutee!" Zita said, clasping his hands together.

Chunk pointed at the hamster. "Look at his little Peepi face!"

Melvin laughed happily. "He's like a little fuzzy Peepi person!"

"Awwww!" The class said, sighing happily.

All, but Zim who is looking mighty suspicious. "Isn't this a thing that grade schooler usually do?" He asked Mrs. Bitters.

"Trust me I am just as horrified." She assured him. "But the school is desperate to make everyone forget the…organ…incident." She said in a low whisper. "They feel this will ease some of the trauma."

"That's stupid." Dib said. "And what's that device on his back?"

Zim eyed it suspiciously, it looked like some old tech, almost otherworldly.

Mrs. Bitters looked at a piece of paper that came with the new Pet. "Says here it has heart problems, the device helps."

"That's so lame." Dib groaned. "Couldn't even give us a healthy pet."

"It looks painful." Zim noted though the hamster didn't seem to mind.

"It's either that or we invest in a new councilor." Mrs. Bitters said.

The class went silent, and then began to shake in fear.

All but Zim who is clueless. "Why do I have a feeling I'm missing something."

"Our last councilor Mr. Dwicky turned out to be a murderous psychopath." Dib whispered. "Who stuffed the previous councilor in his office air vent."

Zim blinked in disbelief.

"Yeah he's in the loony ben now." Dib said. "He thinks he's on a spaceship traveling through the stars."

"Why do I feel like you have something to do with that?" Zim asked.

"I may or may not have exposed him for the menace he really was." Dib said with a smile. Then, he frowned. "Okay that's a lie, no one would believe me, so I tricked him into believing he was abducted by aliens. The police showed up and thought he had come down with a case of the crazy." He admitted. "They found the old councilor about a week after."

Zim looked at him as if in a new light. "I'm never going to figure you out am I?" He asked. "I mean you think you know a guy."

Dib laughed. "That's not the weirdest thing I did." He admitted. "I once raised a soul stealer from the dead to get revenge on my sister. Mortos Der Soulstealer!"

"How'd that go?" Zim asked.

"Well at first he mooched off of me and I had to chase him around town. Finally, he goes to fulfill my wish to take Gaz's soul only to tell me she doesn't have one."

"I could have told you that." Zim teased.

"I was ten." Dib reasoned. "And at that age I thought everyone had one."

Still, I'm getting a bad vibe about this." Zim admitted, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but this was bad. He just knew it.

"It's a Hamster Miz." Dib assured him. "This whole Irken thing has got you paranoid."

Zim laughed uneasily. "You're probably right." He said as the class began to sit back down.

Tak smiled, just as she hoped, they didn't expect a thing.

"Now finish your test so we can get the disappointment over with!" Mrs. Bitters growled.

The students groaned in disapproval, all of them had already deciding what they wanted to be, but now this test was taking that away from them.

So why bother taking it seriously?

Zim, however, wanted to take this seriously. Not because he was actually invested in this "future" nonsense but for another reason. Since his programing was wiped Zim had been far too busy with repairs to evaluate his new condition. Sure he knew the Irken program was gone, but that was it. As of that moment he had no idea how it affected him. Could he still function as an Irken elite even without it?

He wasn't sure how looking at a bunch of blotches would help assess that, but right now it was all he had. But in order to real understand how badly his condition was he needed to be honest with himself. So instead of concentrating on one thing too long. He decided he would wrote down the first idea that came to him.

'_It looks like a blotch.' _

Zim looked at it harder, he had read about these human test, you were supposed to see something. And according to Mrs. Bitters you were supposed to see something regarding your future. But Zim saw nothing.

'_Maybe that it.'_ He thought. _'Maybe my deprogramed mind already sees the facts' _He sighed._ 'Without my programing I'm doomed.'_ He got an itch on his neck and began to scratch it, not noticing little BUMPS were forming.

Dib, took a look at the small bumps on Miz's neck, frowned, noted it in his head, and then wrote "Ghost" Next to the first blotch. Then "Bigfoot"…

"Your time is almost up! Pass your papers forward once completed!" Ms. Bitters announced.

Zim begins to panic, he couldn't turn in a blank test, but he honestly didn't know what to write down. Suddenly a machine burst through the ceiling of the classroom. The words 'POS 2000' were written on the side of the machine. It was a purple/grey computer with several large levers, a thousand different buttons, and a display screen hanging over the top of rolls of strip that were rolling around and around, data printed on the strips. There was a slot beneath the display screen that was showing the strange, lightning-like static on the pink display screen.

The rest of the students finished passing up their test.

Zim sighs, seeing no choice he passes his up…blank.

Dib notices the blank test, and the look on Miz's face. It becomes apparent that his boyfriend is bummed about the future. It took him back to that day in class, the last time Miz was this depressed…

"_I was just thinking, about when I'm leaving. My dad never stays in one place long. He's a traveling Architect remember…one day I'll leave…"_

Dib flinched at the memory with a life like that no wonder he felt apprehensive about it.

"The machine will now decide your fate." Ms. Bitters told them all as she inserted one paper after another into the slot. A few moments later the machine went "PING" and then zoomed back up into the ceiling.

"Hmm. Alright. Brian will be a fireman!" Ms. Bitters announced.

"Aww, but I wanted to be a DOCTOR!" Brian complained.

"QUIET! The machine has spoken!" Ms. Bitters hissed. "Sara, you are going to be an astronaut!"

Sara burst into tears and hung her head.

"Spoo, you will be a veterinarian."

"But I'm allergic to animals!" Spoo complained.

"Not MY Problem." Ms. Bitters said, smirking. "Dib, you will be a... paranormal investigator. Hmm."

This was odd. The machine was supposed to give them the most unlikely job possible. This of course was done to teach children that you never get your dream job right away. No you had to work towards those goals often getting crummy jobs in the meantime.

So for Dib to get what he wanted right off the bat, it must mean he was meant for so much more. She smirked as Dib cheered, punching the sky with a cry of "YES, YES, YES".

"I knew it." She whispered.

Ms. Bitters turned to Zim. "Miz, the machine says that the only career you are suitable for is-" She paused. "Your test is invalid."

Miz bit his lip.

"You did answer the questions didn't you?" She asked.

He knows he should lie, but sees no point, besides its probably written all over his face by now. Not that it mattered. It simply confirmed what he already knew to be true. He had no future.

Once the Tallest found out about his programing they'd try to download it themselves. And once they did they would notice his flaw. The download would fail at 97% or less as it had always done before. And then they would know the truth, his secret would be out.

He would be labeled as a defective and eliminated on the spot.

He grimaced as he imagined their looks of disgust, looking at him like he was some filthy trash.

Tak smirked, her enemies spirt was crushed, and everything was going her way. Now it was time to get into character. She turned the dial on her the device resting on her wrist, her form changed. She smiled and stepped out of the supply closet she had been hiding in.

Dib would never see this coming.

Mrs. Bitters nodded and hovered to the door. One leg at a time, her legs placed themselves on the floor rather like landing gear before she opened it. Suddenly she scratches her chin and notices she had bumps there.

'_That's odd.'_ She thought. _'I never have a blemish in less it's-' _Her eyes widen. Was it today? No it couldn't be today!

She looked at the calendar and sure enough it was! How could she forget especially when they had a whole HQ full of Alien refugees!

She did her best not to panic as she addressed the children.

"Now, children! Find your partner!" She instructed.

She allowed the students to fill out all but one. "Not you Miz." She told him.

"Awe come on." Dib argued. "Can't he just tag along with me?" he asked hopefully.

"No." She told him. "I have a partner in mind for him." She assured Dib.

Dib looks confused.

Mrs. Bitters gives him a rare reassuring smile. "I got this one."

"Well…okay." He said still looking unsure. He leans in and whispers to Miz. "Text me with an SOS if she tries to eat you or something."

Miz couldn't help but smile. "You're never going to let that go are you?"

"She's not human, and one day I'm going to prove-" Dib turns to look back at Mrs. Bitters and notices something. "What's the matter with your neck?" He asked. The bumps were dripping something green now.

"Oh just go already and stop being so inquisitive." She demanded, kicking Dib out the door.

"Okay…" Dib sighed. "Guess I'm facing this alone." He thought out loud. He tuned to see many adults waiting out in the hallways. A ninja, a vet, a doctor, several business men and pencil pushers, a fireman, a sumo wrestler, an Avon lady saleswoman, a plumber, a nasty-looking person with black hair who was kind of hunched over and looked like a homicidal maniac, He wonder who had that guy as their partner today, and silently added a prayer for their safe return.

"Okay." He said with a sigh, "What armature are they going to place me with." Because As exciting as it was to actually get the score to confirm his destine with his dream job. Dib doubted his partner would have actually scene half of what he has. And there was no way someone from the Swollen Eyeball would be filling in either.

Dib looked around the hallway and saw that, interestingly enough, Gaz had been partnered with a studio guard from their father's studios…

"No, I'm not your partner. He's waiting for you down the hall." The Studio guard said.

She WASN'T with him? Then who WAS she partnered with? He'd like to further investigate, wondering what kind of future his soulless sister had in fate for her, but he heard somebody use his name and looked upwards to see a man in sunglasses with dark hair, boots and a fancy suit.

"Your name Dib?" The man asked, his voice very soft and secretive.

'_Yep'_ he thought inwardly._ 'Complete armature.'_

"Yes." Dib answered doing his best to at least sound excited.

The man nodded. "Call me…Bill."

"Bill?" Dib said. "Did you really have to think about that?"

"No." Bill answered.

"Then why did you pause."

"For dramatic effect." He answered him.

"Okay…." He took a deep breath and decided to go for it. "So what are we doing today? Alien hunting? Big foot? Figuring out if Count Chocula is really a vampire?" he listed.

"Please that's child's play." Bill said.

Dib grinned ok so he wasn't going after the obvious stuff. So maybe this would be interesting after all. "Well you know I've seen some pretty epic stuff, most within this week alone and I could share some…"

Bill shook his head. "Slow down, little man. Today, you're going to see things that are going to change the way you look at the world. Keep your eyes and your mind open." He said, tapping his head.

Dib tilted his head to the side. "I dunno, my head is preeeetty open." He said as he followed Bill out of the school. "In fact there's a whole alternate universe inside-"

Bill held a hand up. "No more talking! Let's roll!" He snapped.

Dib sighed, but was determined not to let Bill ruin his moment and race alongside him.

Towards his dreams.

* * *

**(Back with Zim…)**

"So what did you have in mind?" Zim asked. The two of them had been standing uncomfortable silence since Dib had left.

"You will be shadowing me today." She told him.

"You mean as a teacher?" Zim asked.

"I am more than a teacher." Mrs. Bitters said grabbing her coat.

"We're leaving?" he asked.

"You don't know what today is?" She asked looking concerned.

"No." Zim answered honestly looking at the calendar, and then he sees it.

There written in big bold red letters: The Galactic Equinox!

"So I'm guessing by your expression you know what today has in store for us."

Did she know? He wondered in a panic, but tried to relax. "Well I know what it means." He said acting dumb. "But I fail to see how this is a problem."

"We have an HQ that is currently full of Aliens." Mrs. Bitters "What do you think will happen come 5'oclock."

Zim's eyes widen, their expanding bodies alone would tear the base apart, not only that but the effects would expose Zim to the enemy.

Zim's eyes fall on Mrs. Bitters' neck, the bumps were multiplying.

His eyes widen.

It had meant to be a joke, but apparently he was right.

And so was Dib, Mrs. Bitters wasn't human.

She was an Alien!

"Come there is much for me to teach you." Mrs. Bitters told him.

"And what do you hope to teach me?" Zim asked, dropping his normal Miz routine after all, if Zim could see the effects on her then no doubt she too could see the bumps resting on his own chin.

The jig was up, she knew he wasn't human.

He should run, but doesn't, after all the AI's were with the Swollen Eye Ball, and Sari had deemed him worthy to live.

Which meant…

"How long have you known?" He asked the obvious.

"That doesn't matter." She said. "What matters is that you don't squander this chance."

"And what do you hope to teach me?" Zim snapped once more.

"You might not see a future for yourself, but I do." She said. "I have seen it from the moment it was place into motion."

"Doubtful." Zim hissed coldly. "Who all knows?" He snapped.

"Just I." She answered. "And Lard Nar." She added.

"I knew it!" He hissed. That guy could always see right through him. But of course these facts left one obvious question to be answered. "Why haven't you told them?"

"They are not ready." She answered simply. "One day they will look up to you, in order to have their respect they need to know you as you first, not as an Irken, but as a person."

"And what grand future do you see for me?" Zim scoffed.

"Why a leader of course." She said as if it was obvious, "You will succeed Lard Nar as the leader of the Galactic Alliance."

Zim's eyes widen.

"Your destiny is to Destroy Irk and rebuild it from the ashes for the better; as a Tallest should."

His eyes grew impossibly wider…

"Tallest!"

* * *

**_-To Be Continued_**


	14. Career Day's Hamstergeddon (Part 2)

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, all characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **OMG I am so excited! I can't wait for you to see Tak's plan unfold. Your mouths are seriously going to drop. But for those of you who already figured it out…Shhh…no spoilers! ;) And with that said, on with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 14: Career Day's Hamstergeddon (Part 2)**

**(Back with Zim)**

She couldn't be serious,

Him, Invader Zim the next Tallest! Was that the pipe dream she had been feeding the resistance? Well it wasn't going to happen!

Sure, Zim had heard the rumors, apparently everyone on Irk thought as much, that he would succeed his two closest friends as their next monarch. And seeing how he was 99.999% Irken, the closest thing to a pure breed in this day and age, he was a likely choice. But that's just it, Red and Purple were both only 89% Irken, which meant Zim should have been chosen before them, and yet he wasn't.

Not that he wanted to be, but that fact alone assured Zim that if the Brain was going to choose him it would have done so already. Not that he minded, after all he couldn't see himself doing it, leading a people towards a cause he didn't believe in himself. No, it was already hard enough enforcing their rules and living with the blood on his hands for said actions.

Mrs. Bitters could see the doubt that was written so plainly on his face, but she knew in time he would accept this future. After all Lineage would choose him this time, he was the obvious choice. Even the current Tallest knew this, which is why they kept him so close to them. To ensure that Zim shared their same ideals. To ensure that nothing would stand in their way of total conquest.

Especially no each other.

However, the survival of Irk depended on Zim choosing to fight against them, for if he didn't the Ai's would use their weapon to purge their race. Once they found the last piece that is. Mrs. Bitters couldn't help but pray that said day would never come. However, she knew eventually the Ai's would simply try and rebuild it; something they could have done already. This fact alone prove to her that even they were hopeful. Sari, had convinced them long ago that the heir would set their creators back on the right course. And as their leader, the Ai's trusted her, and waited, keeping themselves busy with a meaningless task of looking for a missing piece.

She couldn't help but wondered how much she should tell Zim. She feared if she was too straight forward, he'd blab everything to his leaders like the good soldier he is. Still, part of her wanted to warn him of the trials to come. However, she kept her mouth shut not just out of fear of him blabbing, but that he may run all together.

He wouldn't be the first Irken to go Rogue, and the last thing the resistance needed was for their one hope of salvation to go into hiding.

And Zim was tempted to run, the back of his mind kept screaming out warnings of how he was in way too deep. That he needed to swallow his pride and admit to his leaders that he needed help. Still, he followed her into the enemy's car and even allowed himself to relax as they headed towards the docks. Common since told him to at least hear her out. Besides, if she was going to imprison him, she would have tried to restrain him by now.

And if she decided to wait until he was surrounded by her agents, he would just have Gir hack into their systems and aid in his escape. So, there was really no need to fly off the handle just yet, besides if he was being honest it was nice to drop the act if only for a moment.

* * *

**(Back at the school…)**

Meanwhile, back in the class Peepi was fast asleep in his wheel, the school was completely empty now due to career day. Suddenly the odd device attached to his back began to glow and moments later the small animal started to grow. First to three times its usual size, causing him to be so large he BARELY fit into his cage… and then seven and then ten! Finally, the creature got so heavy that the floor caved in around him.

Moments later a ten-foot-tall Peepi jumped back into the room and burst through the hole in the floor and crashes through the far wall an into the outside world. He then across the schoolyard, gnawing through the chain fence and squealing as he became even LARGER, walking on two legs instead of four now!

Passersby watched in awe as the creature stomped around downtown. Thinking him more adorable then scary.

* * *

**(Back with Dib…)**

At the same time as the Peepi uprising Bill is driving through a country road, continuing to speak to Dib, who looked less-than-enthusiastic…

"So, you see the corporations are behind a LOT of the conspiracies, but the GOVERNMENT…" Bills eyes seemed to light up behind his sunglasses. "They're just one big conspiracy! And all led by Fox Ne-'

Then Dib held up some folders that he'd noticed in the backseat. "What are these?"

"Oh, those are case files!" Bill explained. "I brought them along to show you the difference between SERIOUS paranormal disturbances and the frauds. The first file's filled with real ones. The second ones are bunk." Bill went on. "You know, I got a feeling this is going to be a good day for us!"

SCHA-BONK!

"MOOOOOO!"

"…congratulations, you just ran over a COW." Dib muttered. Sighing, he looked through the case file that said "CHUMS" on the front, going to the back of the second file and moving his way upward. Hmm. Psychic lawn gnomes? Vampire Lemurs? FRANKENCHOKEY?

"What the heck is "Frankenchokey"?" Dib muttered. He went on. Bigfoot had an X through it…odd. Then the second one showed ghosts…that had an X through it. And dinosaurs were crossed off…

"You filed them wrong!" Dib said in an exasperated tone. "You've got Big Foot and Dinosaurs in with this fake stuff like VAMPIRE LEMURS!"

"You think those things are real? That's exactly what they want you to believe!" Bill snapped back, turning his head as the sound of a squeal indicated he'd hit a pig.

"That's what who wants me to believe?" Dib asked.

"EXACTLY." Bill remarked.

Dib groaned and went to the next file. Now THIS looked interesting. "Galactic Equinox…molt phenomenon. What's this?" He asked, holding it up.

Bill smiled wistfully. "Heh. The galactic equinox theory. At 5 o'clock tonight, the planets of all the galaxies are going to be in perfect alignment. My colleagues believe that this will cause all the aliens that are living off their own planet to go through a hideous molt for a few seconds. Don't read that garbage." He said shaking his head.

But Dib's eyes went wide. "We could use this to locate TAK!" he realized out loud. "And Zim!" He realized seconds later. He thought it was funny that he thought of Tak first. The fact only reminded him that he had yet to sort out his feelings for Zim.

"Tak?" Bill asked.

"Okay look I shouldn't be telling you this." Dib whispered. "But…." He took a deep breath. "I'm already a paranormal investigator and they're two aliens on this planet and I need to go to HQ and report to them."

"What?" Bill asked.

Dib rolled his eyes. "Look if this theory is real." He said. "Then we have to tell them.' He insisted. "The very fate of Earth depends on it."

Bill seemed to think about it for a moment and then finally he nodded.

"You'll take me?" Dib was stunned.

"I don't think this is worth our time." He admitted. "But I remember when I was your age, going through the struggles of no one believing my claims." He looked hurtful for a moment. "I swear I'd never doubt anyone who swore they have proof."

"I do." Dib exclaimed. "Just take me there and I'll give you all the proof you need."

"We must hurry." Bill sounded urgent now. "Where to?"

"The Docks." Dib said. "And step on it." He urged as he sent an urgent Text to Miz.

Had he of been paying attention to Bill he would have notice it.

The Paranormal investigator wore a sinister smile.

Finally, he had a location and soon he would put an end to all his enemies in one swell swoop!

* * *

**(Back with Zim…)**

Every fiber in his being told him to run as they entered Warehouse 13, but he ignored it and allowed Mrs. Bitters to lead him into the elevator. "So, what are you really?" He asked as she pushed the button for their floor.

"Do you really care?" She asked.

Zim shrugged. To be honest it didn't matter, he was just trying to make small talk.

"Guess." Mrs. Bitters instructed.

"Well if you are using your true form, which is doubtful." Zim mused. "I'd say you were a Clantarian." He answered. "They look quite similar to humans, but they were wiped out nearly five hundred years ago."

"Don't remind me." Mrs. Bitters growled.

Zim was stunned he assumed she wasn't wearing a disguise because he could see the effects of the Equinox on her skin. However, he wasn't expecting his guess to be right. The Clantarian hailed from Irk's sister planet but due to own personal believes they refuse to join Irk in their conquest. Instead they chose to stand against them.

Naturally, Tallest Myuki declared war on them and soon wiped them out. It was Irk's very first conquest of War, and their brutality to their own sister race spoke volumes of their intent to the universe.

It was what ignited the initial fear of the Irken race into all of their minds.

Zim was amazed, to be standing beside a creature that was so closely related to his own race, and yet so different; it was hard to comprehend. But at least he understood why she felt like she could persuade him over to her side. "We are not the same." He told her.

"Not anymore." Mrs. Bitters confirmed, "But you Irkens didn't always look the way you do now." She revealed. "Before you rose to the Era of technology and Machines you looked much like us. Then your ancestors uploaded their consciousness into the PAK's, this forced them to adjust their own DNA, thus altering the appearance of your race forever." She explained.

Zim already knew this but ignored the explanation altogether. "Makes no difference." He hissed. "We are no longer the same."

"You don't believe in their lies any more than I do." She reasoned.

"I don't know what he told you." Zim snapped, not even daring to mention Lard Nar's name. "But my days of doubt are over!"

"Are they?" Mrs. Bitters questioned.

"Yes!"

"Then why haven't you reported to your leaders about the resistance's arrival?"

Her question caught him off guard, even though it shouldn't of.

"How do you know I haven't?" Zim reasoned. "Are you monitoring my calls?"

"No." Mrs. Bitters admitted. "We have yet to pinpoint the proof that you even have Irken Tech in that home of your, much less hack into it."

"Then how do you know?" Zim argued.

"You just told me."

Zim found a smile slipping to his face, this female was good. He wasn't surprised the Clantarians were known for their superior intellect. Suddenly his phone begins to vibrate wildly. He picks it up and sees Dib had left him a message.

"I'm just glad Dib has something to keep him busy, I personally think you've involved him enough-"

"Well he's about to get even more involved." Zim said showing her the text he just read.

**Miz on my way to the Warehouse, meet me there. I think I found a way to locate the enemy.**

"He must be talking about equinox." Mrs. Bitters realized. "That paranormal investigator must have brought it up."

"You don't think Dib would be stupid enough to bring an outsider, here do you?" Zim knew the answer before the question ever left his mouth.

"You know how he gets in the moment." Mrs. Bitters sighed. "So much potential that one, but so narrow minded."

Zim smiled. "I doubt this investigator is much trouble." He mused. "From what I read they are usually fakes."

"Still our work is for the government." Mrs. Bitters reasoned. "Even if our own employers do not believe us, a security breach is unforgiveable."

Zim rolled his eyes, how humans could refuse to believe even with the load of evidence the Swollen Eyeball had brought to light was beyond his comprehension. "So, what you are saying is it would be in our best interest to distract this investigator."

"Yes." Mrs. Bitters hissed as the elevator stopped.

The doors opened to Lard Nar.

"Thank Vort you are here." He rasped, the Vortainan had abandon his human disguised. He held a syringe in his hands, "I have been trying to warn you all morning! Today is-"

"I know." Mrs. Bitters said simply as she took the needle. "I trust the rest of the refugees have taken this."

"Yes." Lard Nar answered his eyes falling on Zim.

"What is it?" Zim asked.

"It's an antidote of sorts." Mrs. Bitters explained. "It keeps the effects of the equinox at bay. You should take some too before it's too late."

Her words surprised Lard Nar, but Not as much as Zim's next sentence.

"What would you care?"

"For one you are now in our base, your expansion into gelatin could destroy everything, secondly proof of alien existence would throw this town and the world into panic and expose you as the fraud you are." She smiled. "Need any more reason?"

Zim growled but took the second syringe from Lard Nar and injected himself without much thought.

Mrs. Bitters did the same. "There now that this crisis is averted, we should talk-"

"Third Eye!" Richard came running towards them in a panic. "We've got a problem."

"What is it now?" Mrs. Bitters s napped.

"There's a giant Hamster raging downtown." Richards answered as he pulled out a tablet with the local news.

"Well so much for keeping a low profile." Zim joked, only to stop as he noticed something familiar about the creature: Wait a minute, isn't that Peepi?"

"Pee-who?" Richard asked,

"Peepi." Mrs. Bitters answered. "A New class pet that arrived today."

"On the same day as career day." Zim said thoughtfully. "A day that would have all of us separated with different partners all over town."

"What are you saying?" Mrs. Bitters asked.

"I knew that tech on him look fishy." Zim said grabbing the screen and zooming in on said tech. "It's Irken! This is Tak's handy work."

"Wait how would he know that?" Richard said looking at Zim in a new light. "Who are you really?"

Zim smiled. "Right now, I'm a reluctant ally." He mused. "This is obviously a distraction; she is up to something."

"What do you think that would be?" Mrs. Bitters asked.

Zim didn't even hesitate to answer, sure he hated helping the enemy, but right now Tak was a greater threat. And as the saying goes the enemy of my enemy is my friend. "She most likely planted the device on the pet to distract us, which means she is probably posing as one of the mentors for Career day."

"But which mentor would she benefit from?" Lard Nar dared to ask.

Zim's eyes widen. "Not which, who!" he pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Hello." Dib's voice answered.

"Dib what ever you do don't come to the warehouse!" Zim screamed.

"What? Why?" Dib asked.

Richard began to show panic, obviously realizing what this meant.

"Dib try not to freak out." Zim said calmly. "But I think you Mentor might not be who he says he is."

Dib's eyes widen as he realized what Zim was saying. He looked to Bill more closely. Was this really Zim sitting beside him?

"Problem?" Bill Asked him.

No, I," Dib began.

Zim's eyes brighten up. "Tell him you have a mission."

"What?" Dib asked.

"There is a giant hamster raging downtown." Zim revealed.

Dib's eyes narrowed. "Oh, there's a giant hamster raging downtown." He said out loud. "And you want us to check it out?"

"Yes, I have something to handle here." He instructed, "Do what you can to use the chaos to get away."

"Understood." Dib answered casually. "See you soon partner." He hung up. "Sorry but we have to go back in town."

"What, but the equinox." Bill insisted. "I thought we were going to warn your friends."

A text appeared on Dib's phone He smiled and read it out loud. "We know about the equinox and we have it handled." He laughed, relieved. "Not only would Zim be revealed for the fake he was, but he just realized that all the refugees who would also change were being taken care of. "See it's handled, now let's go kick some giant hamster butt."

Bill frowned, obviously upset. "Aw I really wanted to see a real government base."

Dib smiled. "Tell you what help me take this thing down and in exchange I'll take you."

"Really?" Bill asked.

Dib nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for!" He kicked the car into high gear and turned around before racing towards downtown.

Meanwhile Zim had dived back into the elevator.

"And where do you think your going?" Richard asked. "I demand answers! How do you know that's Irken Tech?"

"Why don't you ask your great leader why she's keeping secrets from you?" Zim mused as the doors closed.

Richard looked to Mrs. Bitters stunned.

"Isn't it obvious?" She said.

Richard thought for a moment and then his own eyes widen at the realization.

"Miz is Zim!" He whispered in disbelief. "How long have you known this?"

"For some time." She admitted.

"And you kept it to yourself?" Richard is stunned. "Why? I thought you said he was our ticket to freedom." He said accusingly to Lard Nar.

"He is." Lard Nar said. "However, convincing him of that will take time."

Richard scoffed. "So, he doesn't share our views. You think you can change an Irken, impossible."

"Look whatever you do, you mustn't tell anyone." Lard Nar said urgently. "Especially not Dib."

"Why Not?" Richard yelled. "If anything, Dib should know that he's fraternizing with the enemy."

"Dib is the reason why he is changing." Mrs. Bitters reasoned.

"You expect me to believe his felling for my grandson are real?" Richard laughed, "Irkens can't love!"

"As hard as you might find it to believe I think he does care for him." Mrs. Bitters said. "And if anyone one would know if an Irken can love it would be me." She hissed.

"Please Richard I know you barley know her but trust me." Lard Nar insisted. "Rejection will just send him running back to his leaders."

Richard clenched his fist but nodded. "Fine, for now I will keep quiet, but if he hurts Dib, I will hold all of you personally responsible."

And with that he left the two aliens to their own devices.

"What now?" Lard Nar asked.

"I have this." Mrs. Bitters said. "Help him."

Lard Nar nodded and raced towards the stairs to catch up with his old friend. He could only hope that Zim would accept his help.

* * *

**_-To Be Continued_**


	15. Career Day's Hamstergeddon (Part 3)

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, all characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **OMG I am so excited! I can't wait for you to see Tak's plan unfold. Your mouths are seriously going to drop. But for those of you who already figured it out…Shhh…no spoilers! ;) And with that said, on with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 15: Career Day's Hamstergeddon (Part 3)**

**(Back with Zim…)**

He wasn't surprised to see Lard Nar (who is in his human disguise) waiting for him as he stepped out of the elevated at the ground level of Warehouse13.

The Vort looks ready to speak, but the Irken gives him no time; choosing to push pass him as he presses a button on his watch. By doing this he has sent a silent command to his Voot placing it on Auto pilot. As he exists the Warehouse, the Voot takes off from his home and lands just outside.

The Irken wastes no time getting in.

Lard Nar looks defeated.

"Well?" Zim hissed.

Lard Nar looks confused.

"Get in." Zim ordered rolling his eyes.

Lard Nar smiled as he got in the seat behind the cockpit.

"Don't look so smug." Zim snapped. "She told you to follow me." He said as if it was obvious. "So, if you're going to spy on me, you might as well stay where I can keep an eye on you." This mission was so sideways now he had half a mind to cut his losses as go into hiding for a year or two.

It wouldn't the first time he had done this. The invaders called this tactic 'Going Dark'! It was a method that required them to lay low until the enemy thought it was safe to let their guard down. This of course would require Zim to stay hidden, which meant he could not risk being discovered by sending a report to his leaders.

This was why he hesitated.

The last time Zim went 'Dark' was halfway through Impending Doom 1. The Irken had faked his death which allowed him to join the Rebellion that rose after Impending Doom 1 was completed. Zim, had discovered that many planets were surrendering in order to distract the Irkens. All the while some of their comrades were gathering forces with other races; building an army that could overpower the armada if it had been allowed to grow.

Thankfully Zim had caught on to their plans and stopped it, and while he had received a hero's welcome upon his return, his leaders were not thrilled.

Of course, Purple had been relieved to see Zim was indeed still alive, but Red was furious that he had left them in the dark of his plans. Even if that was the point of going dark in the first place, absolute secrecy was key in order to pull it off, something the Tallest had shown to hate.

"You should never keep secrets from your leaders." He remembered Red's lecture like it was given just yesterday. If he went Dark now, he'd have to admit he had royally screwed up. And Zim's spotless reputation would not survive the embarrassment.

"You should tell him the truth." Lard Nar said, getting straight to the point.

"Why haven't you told him!" Zim snapped.

"Not my place." Lard Nar answered simply.

"Just like it's not your place to tell the rebels that I'm really Miz and you plan to convert me and use me against my people." Zim hissed.

"And I'm sure you've told your leaders everything." Lard Nar said slyly.

Zim growled but held his tongue. "Let's just get there before Dib manages to get himself killed." He urged.

Lard Nar did not miss the urgency. "You do care about him…don't you."

He knew he should say no, but Zim didn't have the energy to fight at the moment. "Does it matter?" He asked simply. "I have my mission."

"You can pretend all you want, but I know it's different with him…Dib means more to you." Lard Nar whispered.

Did he?

Zim thought on that for a moment. Was Lard Nar, right? Did Dib mean more to him then the mission? What if Zim was really keeping quiet for Dib's sake? If the Tallest knew how bad this was, they'd wipe out all members of the rebellion and the Swollen Eyeball. Dib's life would be in danger, and just the thought of that made him see red.

He shook his head; this boy was messing him up inside. Or at least that was what his programing would say if it was still here.

"All your life you've done what that program told you to do." Lard Nar said as if reading his thoughts. "Don't you think it's about time you made your own decisions?"

"I did once, remember." Zim hissed. "We rebelled and your comrades paid for it."

Lard Nar was stunned, could it be possible that Zim had been blaming himself for that all along? "Zim…" He began.

"If we had just conformed, they'd still be alive." Zim reasoned. "Yes, Vort would have still been enslaved…eventually but they would still be alive…and you…" Zim paused. "you'd still have a home to go to."

Lard Nar couldn't deny his reasoning, chances are had they have done just that all Zim had said would have come to pass. "But could you have lived with yourself?" He argued. "I know couldn't, I can't stand by and do nothing as others suffer…I don't know how you can."

"Easy." Zim answered. "I don't watch."

"Your time of turning the cheek is over." Lard Nar lectured. "Don't you realize what will happen to your race if you don't help us change their ways?"

"The AIs will use their weapon to wipe us out." Zim said without missing a beat.

"So, you know then." Lard Nar sighed. "Don't you care?"

Zim took a deep breath as they landed in the center of downtown. "Maybe my race deserves what's coming to them." He reasoned. He jumped out of as the Voot pooped open. "If we spit up, we'll find Dib faster." He reasoned. And without waiting for Lard Nar to answer he took off.

The Vortian is floored, Zim saw flaw in the AIs eradicating his own race. With such facts being brought to light how were they ever going to convince Zim to follow his destiny?

* * *

**(Back with Dib)**

He couldn't believe how blindly trusting he had been!

Was he actually about to bring a stranger to the Swollen Eyeball's HQ?!

Dib eyed Bill more closely as they raced back towards downtown, news of the monster now known as Ultra-Peepi was all over the radio. Was this man really Zim in disguise? Had he created Ultra-Peepi to cause a distraction just so he could get him alone.

And if so why?

Dib couldn't imagine why Zim would want to be alone with him. The alien made it very clear he wasn't planning to kill him or harm him in anyway. Sure, he had tried to fry his brain and make him stupid, but that was then. Dib would like to think they had grown a little since then; like perhaps they had advanced from enemies to a sort of frenemy status. Still could Dib really say that for sure. Who was to say what the monster was really planning?

What if all of this was a way to trick Dib into showing Zim where their base was located.

'_And I basically told him.'_ Dib realized. This was bad and he knew it. Sure, he didn't tell her which warehouse, but he had the docks and that was enough; he was sure of it. An intelligent being like Zim would find it in a day tops.

"Looks like you were right to turn us around." Bill said as they screeched to a holt just as they entered downtown. Seral people were running through the street screaming. A giant hamster beast (Ultra-Peepi) can be seen causing damage to public property as he rips up trees and buildings and chews on them.

Dib wanted to confront Bill, to demand him to revile himself for who he really was, but Miz's instructions took dominance over his mind. He had to get away from Bill! "If we split up, we'll cover more ground."

Bill hesitates, confirming Dib's suspicions that he is this man's target., but ultimately, he nodded and turns, taking off towards the beast.

Dib watches as he leaves waiting for him to be out of site before taking off in the opposite direction. He had to find Miz, he said he would catch up, so he had to be around here somewhere. He hoped he was okay. Unfortunately, his worry caused him to pay little attention to what was going on in front of him.

Causing him to Smack right into the very person he thought he was running away from.

"Do you humans ever wat where you're going?" Zim hissed as he cradled his now throbbing cranium.

Dib bit back a yelp. "Zim!" He shouted. "You have some nerve showing your face after the stunt you just pulled."

"What?" Zim hissed. "He had little patience for the child's games at the moment.

"Anything you'd like to confess?" Dib asked gesturing to the raging overgrown hamster.

Zim laughed "Don't be silly only an inferior idiot would go to such extremes"

KA-BLOOOEY! Another building went down as Peepi rampaged through the city. On the TV screens in an electronics store, the news showed a broadcast entitled "WHUH 6 Breaking News- Live "Ultra-Peepi"."

"Experts are still baffled over the origins of Ultra-Peepi, the giant mutant hamster now ravaging the city." The reporter smiled stupidly. "BUT they all agree, he's just fuzzy wuzzy adorable, isn't he? He sure is!"

SHA-KOOOOM!

"AAAA!" Ultra-Peepi had just crushed the news studio. Then he picked up a school bus that was parked outside the Museum as the driver ran for his life just in time to avoid being eaten…BUT he was able to see Peepi take a building with a tower sticking at the top and use it like a tooth pick, rubbing the middle of his buck teeth with it.

"Oh, look! He's using the building like a toothpick!" One woman said, pointing.

He dropped the tower pick he was using and turned to look at some jets that were flying at him…dropping the remains of the bus on the lady. OW. Ultra-Peepi frowned, crouched down on all fours, then launched his mechanical foot right at the jets, knocking them out of the sky!

"And I am supposed to just take your word for it?" Dib snapped.

"Aren't you the one who said you thought we grew an understanding after the whole being sucked inside your head thing?"

"You tried to trick information out of me!" Dib yelled.

"No, I haven't been with you all day!" Zim hissed. "And even if I had that's my job!"

Dib's eyes wide, he had known Zim long enough to realize he wasn't lying. "Then who was…Bill…"

Oh no!

'_Today, you're going to see things that are going to change the way you look at the world. Keep your eyes and your mind open'_

Bill's words flashed inside his head like a neon light, and that's when the truth hits him. He had the right idea, Bill was Irken, just not the Irken he thought.

"Tak…" He whispered.

Zim snickered. "She's got relentless I'll give her that."

Dib can barely breath. "I told her…" He realized in defeat.

Zim suddenly looks alarmed. "What did you tell her?"

"The base…she…knows…" Dib is too out of it to realize he's confiding with the enemy.

Zim's eyes widen, Sure he had known Dib had been on his way to the warehouse when he text him the warning, but he hadn't realized the kid had told his companion where they were going directly. Suddenly, he realizes one of his only advantages over his competition had been taken away from him.

If Tak found the base, she could deliver the Swollen Eyeball and the Rebels to the Tallest. By revealing Zim's lies, and succeeding where he had failed, she would disprove her defective label and be rejoined into the collective. Where she could then reveal the truth of what really happened between her and Zim all those years ago.

He would be exposed, and when the Tallest found him neck deep in too many lies to count, deprogramed…well he might as well be as sitting duck.

There was no easy way to put it. Tak had won this round.

The human known as Bill laughed as he came to the same conclusion Zim had in a matter of seconds. He had doubled back to follow the Dib, hopping to continue his original plan and expose Zim to Dib, but now he had a better idea.

Bill touched his watch, and his form gave way to reveal Tak, she had been disguised as Bill all along. "Thank you Dib." She mused. "Now I finally have a way back into the collective." And more importantly a way to seal Zim's doom!

* * *

**(At The Edge Of Town) **

Meanwhile, the military had converged on the city, and inside a tent a general was looking at a model of the town and a model of Peepi that were situated on a table before him.

"GRRR! I don't care what the blazes it wants, I just want it stopped!" The general snarled.

A solider saluted. "But SIR! I couldn't fire a missile at that fooby little face. Could you?"

All of the other soldiers in the tent shook their heads. No, they couldn't.

Suddenly The colonel who had been interpreting some code from the radio stood up. "Sir! I've just intercepted a communication from one of our men on the other side of the city! We think we know where he's going!"

* * *

**(Back with Zim…)**

As much as he wanted to run and catch up with Tak, and silence her before he could cause any trouble; he had a mess to clean up first. With or without help.

And by the look of Dib, he guessed he wouldn't be getting much help at all.

"GIR, come get me." Zim said into his communicator.

"Yes, milord!" GIR's voice answered.

FWOOSH!

GIR, disguised, zoomed up on his jets, stopping right next to Zim, who hopped onto his back and began to fly away.

"Hey, wait!" Dib called out finally snapping out of his state. "Promise me you're on our side this time!" He begged.

Zim circled back around, hovering before Dib.

"I know not of sides, Earth stink, but just this once I agree with you. The hamster must be stopped."

Dib tore his hair. "NOOOOOO-oh. Wait…yeah, good!" He smiled. "Go on!"

Zim rolled his eyes but smiled before he took off.

Dib found a smile forming on his own face. Yes, it would appear they had grown. With that thought in mind he decided to take off after him. He wasn't sure he could be much help with no weapons against a beat 100 times his size, but he had to try.

Anything to make up for his mistake.

Meanwhile Ultra-Peepi continued to make his way towards his target…the Pellet Plant...even though a bunch of tanks were guarding the front.

"Ready unit seven, fire on my mark." The commanding officer raised his hand. "Three... two..."

Then Ultra-Peepi got close enough.

"Oh, just look at him!" Typical, overwhelmed-by-cuteness response.

SMUSH! There went a tank!

But THEN Zim's voice projected out through the air. Gir had flown him back to his Voot and now he spoke via a megaphone system that he'd installed decades before.

"Peepi! Peeeepi!"

Ultra-Peepi turned to see a large, fake hotdog from a hotdog shop hanging below the cruiser by way of tractor beam.

"The weenie tempts yoooouuu!" Zim snag out. He had stolen the fake dog on his way over. The plan was to lure the beat out of the city in order to minimize damage. Once done he could shrink the animal with the same technology, he had used to shrink himself when he went inside of Dib. After that he would remove the device from the device that caused him to grow while eating. It was a straightforward plan.

One that should be easily executed.

"RAAAARRR!" Ultra-Peepi ran at the hot dog flying the Voot Cruiser around the tanks, Zim allowed Ultra-Peepi to chased after him.

The soldier who'd BEEN in the smushed tank popped his head up.

"I'm okay!" He said happily, giving everyone a thumbs up. "I'M OKAY!"

SMUSH!

"Still okay!"

"AAA!" The commanding officer shouted. "Now we're being attacked by giant weenies. Get the weenie! Get it!"

The tanks began to fire on the cruiser and missing. A lot. Luckily Zim had made it to the carnival and had put the giant hotdog into a Ferris Wheel…it was being used as bait. The Voot Cruiser launched two metal disks that puffed out like balls, then rolled to the Ferris Wheel, using mechanical arms to latch onto it and lift it above the ground. Jets then sprung from the metallic balls, ready to ignite as the giant hamster made his way towards the Ferris wheel.

"Yes, Ultra-Peepi…" Zim hissed, rubbing his gloved claws together. "Yes, Ultra-Peepi, yes! Obey!"

He walked through a roller coaster, came closer…then began EATING the wheel.

"ARGH! BAD PEEPI!" Zim snapped. "Don't eat the wheel! Wouldn't you like a juicy hot dog instead?"

More Tanks pulled up.

"Okay, let's try and go with the hamster this time, we gotta use this stuff on something!" The soldier from before said.

Dib ran over to them, arms flailing around. "Don't attack! The alien is trying to get rid of the hamster! Don't interrupt his plans!"

The soldier rolled his eyes and did the "crazy" gesture with one finger. "The boy's crazy. Put him in one of them crazy buckets!"

Some soldiers ran up to Dib and placed in a metal container that covered all but his head as the tanks fired on Ultra-Peepi, who was holding the Ferris wheel under his arm. Pressing a button on the control panel, the thrusters on the metal balls that were attached to the Ferris wheel ignited and sent the Ferris Wheel up into the sky.

"No time to spare!" Zim hissed. "Fine, Ultra-Peepi! You had this coming!"

Quickly maneuvering around Ultra Peepi, diving and ducking and using all his skill, he launched the last two disks out, and they swelled up into balls that attached to his neck. The mechanical arms extended and soon they were tying around Ultra-Peepi like a collar.

FA-WHOOOOOOSH!

The thrusters activated, and Ultra-Peepi went soaring into the air while everyone watched.

"Well not the original plan, but what harm can he do in space?" Zim asked himself as he landed his Voot. He flipped his dial on watch for a decent disguise as soldiers am over to investigate.

The general walks over to the Unknown craft cautiously. "Pilot identify yourself." He demanded.

Dib, who was still stuck in the "Crazy Bucket", watched as the hatch to the Voot opened and a soldier appeared.

"Sorry general." The soldier reported. "The president Man thought this Experimental craft would provide a clever diverge to lead the beast out of the city."

"Well I'd say he out." The General joked. "Well done soldier." He turned back to the others. "Well we're done here. Men roll out."

Dib hopped over to Zim who is still in a disguise as the soldiers departed.

"Whyyyyy?" A sniveling, brown-shirted child asked, tears dripping from his eyes.

Dib frowned. "Ya wanna know WHY!? Because aliens tampering with our life forms is dangerous and ends in pain-" Dib wailed as Zim suddenly kicked him to the side and Dib rolled away…right into a cotton candy machine. "Seriously? I thought we were making head way!" He yelled.

"Because when you create a giant monster of doom, no matter how cute, you have to…" He tapped his lip with a gloved claw. "You have to... I dunno…lemme try again." He cleared his throat. "Heh-hem…something meaningful."

The child just sniffled some more.

"But stop sniveling, little worm monkey." Zim insisted. "Ultra-Peepi will live on... out there... in the stars." He said, waving his hand dismissively before taking his leave.

Dip struggled to get free when suddenly Gaz along with Lard Nar and Peg appeared.

"Need help?" Peg asked.

"Please." Dib begged.

Peg pushed the red button on the outside freeing him.

"Thanks." He said. The asked, "Where have you guys been? You missed all the action."

"We were with our mentors for Career day." Gaz growled. "Like you were supposed to be."

"I was." Dib said. "Mine turned out to be an alien." He revealed.

"Oh no." Peg gasped. "Zim!" She guested.

"Worse, Tak." Dib answered. "Who'd you guys get stuck with?"

Suddenly a black limo pulled up and the window rolled down to reveal the man Dib had seen his sister with before. Then the back window rolled down to reveal.

"The President Man!" Dib exclaimed. "He looked to Peg hopefully. "You're going to be the president?"

"No, I followed his secretary around all day." Peg answered.

Dib felt his gut wrench, if it was Peg then that meant…He looked at his sister fearfully.

Gaz smiled, her evil smile. "That right, one day I will rule this country, and then you will all pay!" She vowed darkly as she and Peg got in the limo before it drove away.

Dib simply watched as it left, not even caring to try and flag them down for a ride home.

Why bother? Even if he managed to stop Zim and Tak there was no Stopping Gaz.

Yep, either way the world was Doom!

* * *

_**-To Be Continued**_


	16. The Wettening Megadoomer of DoomP1

**FYI:** This Story is A ZADR AU of The original Invader Zim TV Series that aired on nickelodeon where Zim is actually a well-respected and successful invader, who is loved by his leaders, and his people. He has a good disguise and fits in perfectly with the humans, and befriends Dib, and lives a double life while trying to keep his secret under wraps.

Zim is not short in this AU he is average human height. Also, all characters are aged up for obvious reasons. So just think of invader Zim happening in high school instead of grade school. I wanted to write a story with a smart respected Zim and give my readers a feel for what the series would have been like if Zim wasn't defective, and was actually appreciated for his loyalty, and tireless efforts. I also added a little ZADR twist because who doesn't like ZADR? Also, this is different from my Prince AU series. Zim is just a regular Irken in this story with no royal heritage.

**Disclaimers:** I do not own Invader Zim

**Author's Notes: **Hey everyone, I hope this chapter finds you well. Please enjoy and review.

* * *

**The Wettening Megadoomer of Doom! (Part 1)**

**(Location: Deep space aboard The Massive)**

The Massive and the Irken Armada hovered above the mechanical planet Storagia. Inside of a long, tube-like structure that was the main processing center for delivery orders were hundreds of individual storage compartments, and the Tallest stood on a hover platform looking them. They finally reached on in particular and a beam of light shot out from the bottom of the hover platform to engulf the whole compartment and show them what was inside.

The Megadoomer!

Now to say that the Megadoomer Combat Stealth Mech was an enormous machine of destructive force would be an understatement. With the missile launchers on its "shoulder" region and sides, the hydraulic engines running it's legs and it's large, taloned feet, this was a weapon of mass destruction that laid waste to planets and looked good while doing it.

"I don't like it." Purple spoke freely.

"We didn't build it so you could "like it"." Red snapped. "This one's going to planet Meekrob to help Invader Tenn conquer it!"

"Well I SHOULD like it." Purple remarked, sticking his tongue out.

A Message appears on the digital roster in Red's hands.

"Looks like we have a second order." He told Purple.

"Really?" Purple sounds amazed. "Someone else wants to use this piece of junk? What idiot would want this?"

Red smiled. "Zim."

"Justification?" Purple asked, his brow rose with curiosity.

"It would appear that the traitor Tak is proving to be a bigger handful then he previously suspected. She has almost exposed our existence to the enemy countless of time."

"He needs a Megadoomer for that?" Purple is confused.

"It has a new tracking and autopilot feature." Red explained. "As long as he has a sample of Tak's DNA it will track her down until it's destroyed, or she dies."

Purple looed at the Megadoomer as if for the first time. "I Like it!" He said.

Red rolled his eyes. "You only like it now because Zim wants to use it!" He declared.

"No, I always liked it." Purple lied. "Speaking of Zim when were we going to tell him the big news?"

"Well we got cut off during the last transmission and Zim hasn't bothered to report in since." Red huffed.

"He's busy, you know he gets like this when he's focused." Purple remined him.

"I know, but he's about to be announced as the Taller!" Red whispered softly so none of the drones around them would here.

The Irken Brain Lineage had shared the news with them only days after Zim had arrived too Earth. Every 10 cycles of a Tallest's rule a Taller was chosen, However not many knew how they were chosen. The Computer Brain Lineage would select 3 possible candidates who would called back to Irk for Testing. The 3 in question would have no idea what the Test was about or what it was for, but once the brain finished testing all three it would decide based on the test results.

And 3 months after Zim left for Earth Lineage had announced that Zim was one of the Three Irkens who had been chosen as a candidate for the position as their successor. Both Red and Purple knew this might happen, in fact they were surprised that they did end up going up against Zim when they had been chosen. However, for some reason the brain had not chosen him. Purple argued it was because Zim was still far too short back then, and Red was quick to agree.

Now, don't get them wrong Red and Purple wanted Zim to succeed them, but there was just one problem…Zim didn't! In fact, he was open about the fact with his Tallest, and freely admitted that he could never imagine himself sitting around, doing such a boring job. And this was why Red was so anxious. He had no doubt that Zim would be selected as the best Candidate out of the three and appointed as their Successor.

"He's too reckless." Red argued. "As an invader that's fine, his reputation speaks for itself, but as a Tallest." He whispered. "He can't just disappear for months at a time."

"All the more reason for him to get it out of his system now." Purple reasoned.

They then rose back up to another platform, this time containing DOZENS of defective SIR units who were all going wild. One was wrestling, one LARGE clump was rolling around like a destructive ball of crazy, another was on FIRE, and one actually had DYNAMITE strapped to its chest. Where'd it get the dynamite?!

"Malfunctioning SIR units! Hey! These things are dangerous! Anyone using these could really get hurt!" Purple realized.

"Throw them out the air lock, would you?" Red instructed the drone to his left.

"Yes, my Tallest. The Drone answered.

* * *

**(Location: Earth)**

**[Midnight…]**

She had never been more frustrated in her whole life!

Tak hissed loudly, when the Dib had told her that the Swollen Eyeball base was at the docks, she had thought finding it would be easy. However, all that she found was one warehouse after another filled with disgusting fish, boats, and supplies. She had even discovered some agents of the enemy who were most likely there to stop her. She managed to dispatch them quickly and locked them all in a closet of one of the Warehouses. She knew she had to be close if they were here, but she still could not find any sign of a secret base.

If she had more sophisticated tech, She would be able to Xray the ground and see if anything was lurking underneath, but atlas all she had was tools of her own invention. Said devices worked well enough, but that were usually made from primitive parts that she found in the human waste dumps. Such old and damaged parts did little to produce reliable instruments.

If she had the support of her people her tech would be just as good as Zim's, or even better if she crafted it herself with reliable parts. Still, she knew the Tallest wouldn't dare speak to her without proof. Afterall, she had no doubt that Zim had already reported her location to them. Feeding them his lies about her being a defective. This of course, would discredited her on the spot. For perhaps the ten thousandth time she wished that Zim was stupid, it would make her life so much easier. However, the more she fought him the more she came to realize that it was Zim's art of deception and brains that had kept the truth about him being a defective hidden for so long.

She shook her head, forcing herself to focus as she began another round of searching. She had to find the hide out if she wanted any chance of convincing the Tallest of Zim's lies. Her pace quicken with this knowledge. She had searched each Warehouse one by one starting from the west side, Each one was numbered, and the further she went the numbers got lower and lower. It's then she realizes she must have started at the end of the count, instead of the beginning. She Shrugged it off, after all it wasn't like it mattered.

She couldn't have been more wrong. For one the other side of the harbor her target laid in plain sight.

Warehouse 13!

* * *

**(Back with Dib)**

He couldn't believe how stupid he was.

Miz had warned him that the enemy could take on any disguise, and yet he was still dense enough to spill secrets to a stranger!

Dib used his night vision binoculars to scope his surrounds; at the moment he was surveilling the docks…ALONE! Yes, he knew this was stupid, and that he had been given strict orders to not go running off and playing hero on his own. Both Zim and Tak had their sights set on him, but he couldn't help but feel responsible. Tak, was so close to finding their headquarters, thankfully he had left out the number of the Warehouse, but with only 348 at the Harbor it wouldn't be long before she came across Warehouse 13.

Dib tensed as he see movement, he zooms in his focus and sees his target! It is Tak, she is alone and heading his way. He watched as she stopped to search each warehouse, she passed one at a time. He pulls out his phone, he knows the wise thing to do would be to call Dark Booty and report his findings, but after the whole Career Day mess, Dib had been given strict orders to stay as far away from any Irken business. So instead he calls Miz.

Yes, he and Miz were still on speaking terms. Dib had meant to follow his sister's advice and stay away from him until he sorted out his feelings for Zim, but it just never worked out that way. And now Dib was beginning to think staying away from Miz was just as impossible for him as staying away from this Irken business.

He dials the number and waits.

* * *

**(Back with Zim)**

At that very moment Zim had just received his package from the Tallest and was examining its contents. GIR was swimming through a large sea of packing peanuts and happily singing as he did so, his doggy disguise on his person. Zim calmly lifted GIR up by his disguise's ears and grinned as he looked the Megadoomer over. "The Megadoomer, GIR! The most powerful stealth robot in the Irken Military." He told GIR, dropping the robot who walked over to the Megadoomer. "Engineered by conquered Vort scientists actually." He revealed.

GIR gasped, his mouth making a perfect "o", and then he hugged the robot's legs. "It's got CHICKEN LEGS! I WUB it already."

Zim blinked, then nodded. "Yesss…chicken legs…" Zim agreed. "It also possesses a new generation distortion cloaking system. You know what that means?"

GIR promptly soared into the air, spazzing out and screaming as his body swirled around. "WAAAUHH-HOOOOO!"

Then he settled back down and shook his head.

"That means it turns invisible!" Zim told him, whacking his fist into his open palm.

"I had no idea!" GIR remarked. Zim hopped onto his head and GIR's jet-feet activated as GIR lifted Zim to the top of the Megadoomer.

"It's a bit much but I will use this to annihilate Tak!" Zim swore as he entered the open cockpit. "I can't WAIT!"

"I'm FLOATIN'." GIR remarked.

Zim began typing the at the controls and opens the data inventory. He sees that the Tallest had a sample of Tak's DNA already in it's data banks. Of course, every Irkens DNA was kept on file for some like Zim's would be used to clone the next generation of Irkens. However, defective DNA like Tak's and Drones where not used for cloning, instead it was kept and studied by Irken scientist. The goal from these studies was to learn why the Irken race kept producing such bad eggs so less would be made in the future. "Excellent!" Zim praised.

Zim then programs the Megadoomer to use said DNA to track down and eliminate Tak, by any means necessary.

"I'm gonna eat these legs!" Gir declared.

"Silence! My victory... begins... NOW" Zim declared as he activated the machines stealth mode before jumping out.

The Megadoomer came to life, Phasing through the wall before turning invisible as it stomped down the street towards tracking it's enemy.

"Did you know it could do that?" Gir asked referring to how the robot just went through the wall like a ghost.

"No." Zim admitted.

Suddenly his cell phone rang.

He picks it up from the table beside him and answers. "Hello?"

"Hey you busy?" Dib asked on the other end.

Zim looked around his now filthy house covered in a sea of package peanuts and sighed. "No why?"

"I may need some back up." He admitted.

Zim's eyes widen. "Dib what are you doing right now?" He asked.

"I'm staking out the Docks for Tak." Dib informed him, confirming his worse fears.

Zim felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach, he had just programed a Megadoomer to take Tak down by any means necessary. If Dib got in the way the machine might mistaken him as an ally of Tak's and seek to destroy him too. "Dib get out of there now!" He warned. "Dark Booty said they'd keep an eye out for Tak."

"But they're not even out here." Dib reported. "I've looked all over the Docks, but I see no one. I think Tak took them out."

This wasn't good. If Tak managed to fid the base before the Megadoomer found her she would have what she needed. All she'd have to do is avoid the machine long enough to report her findings to the Tallest. After that, if they bought her story, they would use the override command from the Massive to power down the Megadoomer, thus sparing her life, and giving her the chance to expose him.

Zim's eyes narrowed. _'Not on my watch.' _

"Stay put." He told Dib. "I'm on my way!"

Zim hung up and immediately dialed another number.

There was three rings and then…

"Hello?" Mrs. Bitter said.

"It's me." Zim said firmly. "I need a favor."

For a moment there is silence and then…

"I'm listening…"

* * *

**(Back with Dib…)**

"Roger." Dib answered and hung up only to jump down from his perch on top of Warehouse 13. He knew if he waited Tak may find the place before he got there. He knew Miz would be angry that he was putting himself at risk, but this was for Earth!

He would understand that.

Trying to be as stealthy as possible, Dib turns on the invisibility setting on his jacket and creeps in the direction he saw Tak moments before.

Meanwhile, Tak is growing weary of her search and debates on weather to give up for the night. She had been at this task since Midnight, and already three hours had passed. It would be day light soon, and Tak still needed time to continue working on her base. Ever since moved from London she had been hiding out at Marvin's Weenie factory. The pace was more or less a glorified Hotdog stand, but it didn't start out that way. Once upon a time it had been just a plain hotdog stand, until Tak used Mimi to brain drain the owner; Jeffry Marvin's mind, once drained she reprogramed him to be her own meat slave. After that she had him buy a permit to build her a large dome like structure behind his stand.

The new structure was renamed Delishus Weenie Corporation and to the outside world it appear to be the outcome of another business man expanding his product, but on the inside, it served as her base and it was almost complete. Her hopes was it would be done by the time she called the Tallest.

With that thought fresh on her mind she moves to leave but stops as the ground begins to shake under her feet.

"What the-?"

Suddenly an invisible thing crashed into the Warehouse wall behind her, a huge hole in the shape of a large robot appears.

Her eyes widen, she doesn't need to see it to know what it is._ 'That idiot isn't that desperate, is he?' _

Apparently, He was, and as the ground begins to shake again Tak realizes why. It's running towards her! She turn and runs knowing that Hiding is no good! This thing would be able to track her to the far reaches of the universe, if need be. She keeps looking over her shoulder as she runs, even though she knows that due to it's invisibility it's no use.

At the moment that she is running out of the Warehouse, Dib rounds the corner and stops as he watches the scene play out before him.

Tak is running, more tripping over herself trying to get away from…nothing?

He feels the ground shaking, it almost sounds like footsteps. Dib pulls out his inferred goggles, in theory he should be able to see anything, including objects that are clocked. Dib stared caring these things around after Tak had chased them through town a while back. He turns them on and his heart drops. A massive robot was chasing Tak towards the dock.

He is floored, he can't believe that what he is seeing. Of course, he knows in an instant who sent it; ZIM! The part he can't believe is that an Irken would go through such extremes to eliminate one of their own, and all because she threaten to take his mission and Expose him? He knew it was serious, but he thought the two were acting silly. The Irkens were supposed to be this superior race, but in the end, they still got hung up on the same primitive issues earthlings did.

Tak, comes to a screeching holt at the end of the dock. The Harbor laid before her and the Megadoomer behind her, she was trap!

Dib is confused, why did she stop? A giant monstrous machine of Death was closing in on her, why didn't she jump into the water?

The answer was simple, Tak already knew that water could destroy her body, but unlike Zim her old and outdated PAK would not help her build immunity to it. If she jumped in it would be like jumping into a pool of acid.

As fear spread across her face it dawned on him.

Dib's eyes widen. _'She's afraid of the water!'_

The Megadoomer closes in and Tak realizes she has no choice. It's jump or die! She knows if she jumps, she may suffer some severe burns, but if she can get out before it kills her, she will eventually heal. It's her only chance, but the pending pain makes her hesitate a second longer.

The Megadoomer reaches for her, and she jumps.

Pain engulfs her the moment she touches the water.

Dib watches as she surfaces, screaming in agony. It was almost too gruesome to watch, her visible skin was bubbling, and blistering before him. He could even see steam rolling of off her, he watched as the Megadoomer stopped in it's tracks. Either it wasn't water proof either, or it was simply waiting to see is Tak would die on her own. He wasn't sure he could stomach waiting to see himself.

Then Unexpectedly a bright light shines down on him.

The Megadoomer sees it and begins to retreat, no doubt not wanting to be detected by a possible enemy.

Dib turns to see an army of black cars lined up their high beams on at full blast.

"Dib!" Professor Membrane shouts his name.

Dib turns off his invisibility setting and pulls off the inferred goggles, he knows he's been had. He pulls back on his glasses, confused.

"Are you crazy!" Annabel is just as crossed as her husband. "You could have been hurt."

Gaz and Peg also get out of the car.

"You idiot, we agreed no more getting Involved." Gaz reminded him.

"No, you guys agreed." Reminding them. After Career Day, Mrs. Bitters had given the order all Junior Agent were to stay out of the this. Of course, the only junior agents were Miz, Gaz, Peg and Himself.

"You just don't get it do you?" Peg screamed. "Every time we've faced these guys we've almost died! Every time Dib! Is that what you want? Do you want to die?"

"How did you guys even know I was here?" Dib questioned.

"I told them."

Dib watched in shock as Miz stepped out of the car.

Zim slammed the door as he went. He knew Dib would be furious with him for doing this, but it was for the child's own good. If he had been detected by the Megadoomer he would have died just now, luckily, they had made it in time. Next time, however, they might not be as lucky.

"You sold me out!?" Dib yelled at him.

"Dibson car now!" Professor Membrane ordered!

Dib dragged his feet to the car, his gaze never leaving his boyfriend's. Miz grabbed his arm as he walked pass, stopping him.

"I know you're angry, but I did this because I care." Zim said. The fact that the words were true no longer surprised him. He did care for this human, he wasn't sure if it were love or if Irkens could even love, but he knew he felt something.

Dib shrugged him off saying nothing, He was too angry to talk to him right now.

Zim doesn't let it bother him, he's been with Dib long enough now to know that once his temper cools, he'll realize how stupid he was being, and forgive him.

"Thank you for calling." Mrs. Bitters says as everyone else loads back up into their vehicles.

"For the time being we are in agreement." Zim assures her. "Tracking down Tak with that thing around…"

"Can't you simply disarm it?" Mrs. Bitters asked.

Zim shook his head. "Only the Massive can override it." He answered honestly, after all she gained nothing from knowing said knowledge. "This is to keep the target from overriding the commands and saving their own skin, or worse; turning it against me."

Mrs. Bitters nodded. "I wished you would have thought twice." She admitted.

"I already tried to kill her once 138 Years ago." Zim admitted. "I failed, this time I am leaving nothing to chance."

"You know he'll try to go out on his own again." Mrs. Bitters said the obvious.

"Yes, I know." Zim agreed. "I'll handle it."

Meanwhile, Tak uses the confusion to swim to the nearest shoreline before ducking behind small building. "Mimi." She whispered in her comm device. "Pick up."

The three words barely get out before she passes out, dead to the world!

* * *

**_-To Be Continued_**


End file.
